Visiting Process & Rules

The Barnstable County Correctional Facility maintains a visiting policy so that incarcerated individuals can spend time with their family and friends, as well as see their attorneys.

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Visitors MUST register with a visits officer at least 15 minutes prior to the allotted visit time as indicated on the BCCF Inmate Visiting Schedule

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Visit Approval Process

All visitors must be preapproved by the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office prior to admittance for a visit.

1.    A completed Request to Visit Inmate form must be submitted to the BCSO for approval. You may download and fill out this form and email it to visitforms@bsheriff.net. Forms also may be obtained by stopping by the Visits Office at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility. Inmates have forms available to mail out to their friends and family as well. 

  • Please note, the incarcerated individual must also fill out a visitor request sheet for each visitor they want on their visits list. Both the incarcerated individual's form and the request to visit form must be submitted before the approval process can begin.

2.    All request to visit forms submitted require a minimum 2-week turnaround for approval. 

3.    All visitor denial notifications are sent via certified mail to the address listed on the form.

4.    No visitor will be allowed to visit until a background check is completed and the visitor is approved by BCSO security staff.

Children (Under 18)

  • Minors under the age of 18 are allowed to visit their parent, step-parent, grandparent, legal guardian or sibling once the adult accompanying them has submitted a Visit Request Form and been approved by the BCSO.
  • Minors may visit an inmate with a parent or legal guardian who will be responsible for their behavior. Proof of the minor’s relationship to the inmate must be presented at each visit (i.e. birth certificate). 
  • A parent or legal guardian may authorize another adult to bring the minor child(ren) to a visitation. A notarized form for this purpose must be presented at each visit which specifies:
    •   The minor’s name
    •   The person authorized to bring the minor into the facility
    •   The inmate’s name and the signature of the parent or legal guardian submitting the form. Forms for this purpose are available at the BCCF upon request. 
  • In the absence of a parent or legal guardian, a visit by a minor may be granted with the prior approval of the Superintendent or their designee.
  • The BCSO defines all minors as anyone under the age of 18.

Visiting

  • Visitors may be subjected to a personal search and/or metal detector scan.
  • Visitors shall be photographed by BCSO security staff.
  • A valid photo identification is required for all visitors over the age of 18.
  • No children under the age of 18 will be admitted for a visit unless they are accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or an authorized adult (see above).
  • An inmate may only have a total of a one-hour visit, per visit session.
  • An inmate is allowed a maximum of 4 visitors per day and no more than 2 visitors may visit with an inmate at any one time.
  • Under no circumstances are minor children allowed to remain in the BCCF waiting area or in a vehicle parked on the BCCF premises without adult supervision.
  • Visitors with a medical condition or disability should notify the visits officer when registering.
  • All visitors must comply with the BCCF Dress Code for Visits. Anyone deemed non-compliant to this policy by the BCSO will be denied admittance for a visit.
  • Under no circumstances will an inmate or visitor be permitted to remove any article of clothing.
  • No coats, purses, backpacks, cell phones, cameras, tablets, laptops, keys, weapons, drugs, jewelry, food, or drink, etc. may be brought into the inmate visiting area. There are lockers in the lobby waiting area to store all personal items prior to your visiting session. Lockers require a deposit of 25-cents.
  • All visits with the exception of attorney visits are recorded by the BCSO.

Miscellaneous

  • Visits by attorneys shall not be counted in the allowable visits.
  • Visits by paralegals, law students, clergy, social service workers, authorized media representatives or law enforcement officers shall not be counted in the allowable regular visits but must be approved by the ADS of Jail Operations.
  • All visitors, including attorneys, paralegals, law students, clergy, social service workers, authorized media representatives or law enforcement officers, who are uncooperative, disruptive, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or who are otherwise deemed unsuitable by the BCSO for admission to the facility shall be denied entry and required to immediately leave the building and the premises.
  • It is a felony for any person(s) to deliver any items to an inmate without the permission of the Sheriff, to procure an article to be delivered to an inmate, or to deposit or conceal an article with the intent to deliver to an inmate.
  • There is no smoking on the BCSO premises.

Disclaimer: Being an approved BCSO visitor and present in accordance with the rules and regulations of Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office and the Barnstable County Correctional Facility policies is not a guarantee a visit will occur. The BCSO has the right to deny any and all visits, at any time, without notice, without cause and without recourse.

BCSO policies are subject to change without notice.