Visitation Guidelines
Visitation Schedule (Effective 07/01/2022)
VISITATION IS A PRIVILEGE AND CAN BE TAKEN FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS
- Visitors must be at the facility twenty minutes prior to the scheduled start time to sign in. Once visitation starts no one will be allowed to visit if they show up late or leave and come back late.
- Visits will be limited to thirty minutes.
- When an inmate is classified, it is their responsibility to give the classification officer ALL of their immediate family’s names – if the inmate refuses to give the names of their immediate family – the names will NOT be added once the inmate is moved to general population.
Immediate family includes only the following persons:
|
|
Mother
|
Father
|
|
|
Grandparents
|
Spouse
|
|
|
Son
|
Daughter
|
|
|
Brother
|
Sister
|
|
|
Step-parents
|
|
- Inmates at the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail will be allowed to have two visitors who are not of immediate family. All person including in-laws / step-son / step-daughter / half-brother / half-sister / etc. – will need to be put on the inmates visiting list and be approved as one of the inmates non-family visitors.
- Inmate’s non-family visitation list can only be changed (by the inmate) every ninety days.
- Only three adult visitors will be allowed to visit at a time. Picture ID is required, and the visitor must be on the inmate’s visitation list. All minors under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult already approved on the inmate’s visitation list.
- All minors attending visitation with an adult are the responsibility of the adult. If the child is interrupting other family visits by being loud, running through the visiting area or other inappropriate behavior, the visitors will be asked to leave the visiting area.
- Inmates can receive only one (1) visit a day (on the scheduled day), excluding attorney/client or minister visits.
- If an inmate or the inmate’s visitor gets too loud or is unruly during his/her visit the visit will be terminated.
- Any inmate visitor that is unruly during the period of time names are being taken downstairs or during the waiting time in the lobby, the visitor may be asked to leave, and their visiting privileges suspended.
- Inmate’s personal property will not be released or accepted during weekend visitation – unless prior approval is given by the Jail Captain or the Jail Lieutenant.
- All visits may be subject to audio and video recording(s).
- Visiting is allowed only on scheduled days unless prior approval (special visits) is obtained from the Jail Captain or the Jail Lieutenant. These visits MUST be made one week in advance; NOT the day of the visit. Special visits will not be allowed on weekends or holidays. Special visits are for immediate family only and the visitor must be on the inmate’s visitation list. If special visits are approved the visitors on the special visit list will not be allowed regular visiting on the designated days. Special visits are one visit every thirty days for a period of one hour.
- Cell phones, cameras, or other similar devices as such are prohibited in the visitation room. A visit will be terminated immediately if this procedure is not adhered to as well as future visitation could be denied pending on the severity of this violation. (ex. threatening phone calls, photographs, videos, etc.)
- There will be no smoking, eating, or drinking while in the visitation room. A visit shall be terminated immediately if this procedure is not adhered to.
- Visitors are expected to utilize trash cans located throughout the facility. Anyone who litters inside the jail shall be denied visitation privileges.
Approved Items from Visitors
- There will be no transfer of any property to an inmate during visitation. The following allowable items may be exchanged or processed prior to visitation:
|
1.
|
Money for inmates may be deposited into inmate accounts through the COBRA Banker system located in the front lobby of the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail. Money may also be sent through the mail. The Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail will not accept personal checks or payroll checks. The jail will accept cash and money orders.
|
|
2.
|
Eyeglasses may be brought in by family and may be given to the inmate upon approval of the medical staff.
|
|
3.
|
During the medical intake screening a list of medication the inmate is currently taking will be obtained by the medical staff. Once prescriptions are approved to be brought in by the medical staff the inmate’s family may bring in the medication one time within 24 hours.
|
|
4.
|
Street clothes for jury trials can be brought in by the inmate’s attorney (only) once approved by the Jail Captain or Jail Lieutenant.
|
- No items shall be accepted unless prior approval is obtained from the Jail Captain or the Jail Lieutenant. All other items are supplied by the Jail or through the Inmate Commissary.
Minister Visits
- Personal ministers are defined as ministers that serve at the church in which the inmate attended before there incarceration or in which their immediate family currently attends. (If the church has more than one minister that serves the church, a letter will need to be sent from the church written on church letter head listing all minister(s) names).
- All visiting ministers must be on the inmate visiting list prior to the visit. Each inmate is allowed two personal ministers on the list.
- Ministers will be allowed to visit Monday-Friday from 9:00am to 9:00pm with the following exceptions:
| |
Breakfast Meal |
5:00am - 7:00am |
|
Noon Meal |
11:20am - 1:00pm |
|
Evening Meal |
5:00pm - 7:00pm |
- All ministers must be ordained.
- Prior to the visit all ministers must provide proof of ordination to the Jail Captain or Jail Lieutenant. A copy will be made and placed in the jail facility file. After the copy has been received the name of the minister will be placed on the approved list and given to PCA at front window.
- All ministers must be able to show proof of ID prior to each visit.
- All minister visits will be no longer than 30 minutes.
- Due to the large volume of inmate movement on the setting of Grand Jury - there will be NO minister visits on the scheduled days of Grand Jury.
Money
The Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail will not accept personal checks or payroll checks. Checks from another facility will be placed into the inmate's account. The jail will accept cash and money orders. *money orders must include the senders name and address as well as the inmates name – the inmates name must match the name on the envelope*(It is not advisable to send cash through the mail). Money will NOT be taken at the front window in the Sheriff’s Office/Jail Lobby. There is a Cobra/Banker cashier machine in the lobby that family/friends may deposit funds into the inmates account.
Family and friends may also utilize Smartdeposit to post money to the inmate's account:
WHAT you will need:
- Inmate/Resident Name
- Inmate/Resident Number
- Facility Code #5500
- Pay Location Code #3500 (accounts receivable) / #4500 (bail) / #5500 (commissary deposit)
**NOTE: GovPayNet is NOT a RHRJ service – questions concerning this service will be address to GovPayNet directly**
Access to Telephone Facilities
ALL CALLS ARE RECORDED
Pay-Tel Communications is contracted to manage the inmate phone system.
To set up an account with Pay-Tel or place a block on your phone – you must contact Pay-Tel Communications at 1-800-PAY-TELL (1-800-729-8355) or www.paytel.com
Incoming calls are not possible through our inmate phone system.
- Inmates will not be moved to call attorneys. If the attorney does not accept collect calls, the inmate must write a letter to their attorney.
- Inmates that have a hearing impairment will be allowed to utilize the Jail’s Telephone Device for the Deaf.
- All calls are recorded, and the phone system advises the caller and receiver.
- The only messages that will be delivered are those from an inmate’s attorney and those pertaining to an emergency situation.
Mail
Non-legal inmate mail must be sent to the following address:
|
Rockingham/Harrisonburg Regional Jail
|
| Inmate Name, Inmate ID Number, Facility ID #5168 |
| PO Box 18247 |
| Greensboro, NC 27419 |
The envelope must have a complete, legible return address, including the senders first and last name or the mail will not be scanned.
- There are no limits on the number of letters an inmate may receive.
- Inmates receiving newspapers will be allowed to keep in their cells one (1) weeks' worth of newspapers.
- All incoming mail meeting the requirements will be scanned within 24 hours of receipt and the physical mail will be destroyed.
- All incoming scanned mail will be examined for policy violations prior to being uploaded to the tablets in a timely manner. Approved scanned mail will be saved an accessed by the inmate via the inmate tablets.
- Any scanned mail containing materials considered illegal or breaches the security will be turned over to the proper authorities for investigation. Any threats of criminal activity will not be permitted in any correspondence and may result in criminal charges.
All incoming "legal mail" (attorney, DOC, probation, etc.) must be sent directly to the facility and will be opened and inspected in the inmate's presence for contraband.
- Address legal mail as follows:
| Rockingham/Harrisonburg Regional Jail |
| Inmate Name, Inmate ID Number, Legal Mail |
| 25 South Liberty Street |
| Harrisonburg, VA 22801 |
Any monies sent to inmates in the form of cash, money orders, or government checks will be credited to the inmate's account (No personal checks will be accepted). Any money sent to the facility must contain only money and/or money orders. Any envelopes that have anything else will be returned to sender.
Inmates may subscribe to and receive though the mail the following:
- Magazines - direct from the publisher (no pornographic material)
- Newspapers - direct from the publisher
- Books - direct from the publisher
- Puzzle or Word Find Books - direct from the publisher
- Magazines, newspapers, or books will NOT be allowed that:
- Violate United States Postal regulations
- Advocate the violent overthrow of the government of the United States or Virginia
- Advocate violence or rebellion against government authority under which the inmate is held
- Show or describe the manufacture or fabrication of weapons
- Display any pornographic material
- Books from 3rd party carriers
- Books larger than 8"x11" in size
- Inmates cannot receive more than 5 books at a time
If an inmate is released from custody or transferred to another instution the mail shall be marked "Return to Sender" and sent out immediately.
After release, an inmate can request digital copies of his or her scanned mail. Submit the request to rcsomail@rockinghamcountyva.gov and it must include the following:
- Inmate's full name
- Inmate ID number
- Reply email address
- Once the information is verified, an email with the postal scans attached will be sent to the email address provided.
