Department Of Correction Reinstates Noncontact Visits

Press release from the Connecticut Department of Correction:

Oct. 16, 2020

The Connecticut Department of Correction is resuming noncontact social visits for offenders effective October 15, 2020. The number of visitors and visiting sessions will be restricted in order to maintain pandemic related precautions in alignment with Governor Lamont’s Executive Orders.

In an effort to accommodate as many visits as possible per day the duration of each visit will be restricted to 30 minutes. A maximum of two visitors will be allowed per individual visit.

Visits will be by appointment only and must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance. Individuals can request to schedule a visit by going to the specific facility webpage located on the DOC website and following the instructions.

You must be on the offender’s approved visiting list in order to request a visit. Individuals must receive confirmation of a scheduled date and time before traveling to the facility.

In addition to standard security procedures, temperature checks and health screenings will be conducted prior to allowing visitors into the visiting room. It is strongly recommended that anyone who is not feeling well, not come to the facility.

For additional information regarding visiting schedules and policies go to the Department’s website at: https://portal.ct.gov/DOC.

Inmates who have recently tested positive, or are being monitored for the novel coronavirus will not be allowed to participate in visits until they have been medically cleared to do so.

All visitors, offenders and staff will be required to wear masks covering their mouth and nose at all times during the visit. Visitors are responsible for providing their own masks.

Although the Agency’s administration realizes the importance of social visits for both the offenders as well as for their loved ones, the continued mitigation of the spread of Covid-19 within the correctional facilities remains the Department’s highest priority. Therefore, visiting areas will be thoroughly sanitized between each visit. Also, any increase in the number of infections among staff and/or offenders (or a spike of cases in the community) would result in the immediate suspension of visits either at an affected facility or agency wide.

If a visitor develops symptoms or tests positive for Covid-19 within 48 hours following a visit, they should notify the facility immediately.

All visits to Connecticut DOC facilities were initially suspended in March as part of the Agency’s initial efforts to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In addition to the reinstating of noncontact visits, the Department of Correction is in the process of finalizing its plans to allow for video visits via the Microsoft Teams application. The initial implementation of video visitations is expected to begin in approximately one month.

Video visits allow for those who live too far away from a facility, or have mobility issues that prevent them from traveling, to have an increased level of contact with their loved ones.

“I truly understand how difficult it has been for offenders and their loved ones not to have been able to see each other face-to-face during the pandemic,” said Commissioner Designate Angel Quiros. “The resumption of visits has been a top priority of mine, but we have to take every precaution possible to make sure we continue to keep the virus at bay.”

The revised visiting procedures have been developed in conjunction with guidance from the State’s Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control.

This press release was produced by the Connecticut Department of Correction. The views expressed here are the author's own.