Family and friends may visit inmates in state prisons on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays, generally from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Family and friends may also keep in touch with their loved ones through the mail.
- Because spaces for visitors are limited, times to see particular inmates vary by facility. View the visitation schedule for your loved one's facility.
- Generally, private prisons, county correctional institutions, pre-release centers and probation detention centers also follow the six-hour visitation schedule on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays. You'll need to call that particular facility to learn exact visitation times.
- Correctional officers have the right to refuse your visit if they suspect that you're carrying contraband.
- When you send mail, make sure to address the envelope with both the inmate's name and Georgia Department of Corrections number. Locate your loved one's facility so that you can start sending letters.
After serving one year at an assigned institution, an inmate can submit a transfer request. Requests are accepted only from those inmates who in the last six months show no record of disciplinary misconduct.
Bear in mind that while an inmate may submit a request, transfer approval is not guaranteed.
In any instance of physical or sexual assault, encourage your loved one to report this to his counselor, Deputy Warden and Warden as soon as possible. You may also directly contact one of these staff members or address this incident with the Offender Ombudsman and Inmate Affairs Unit at either Ombudsman@dcor.state.ga.us or 478-992-5358.
An inmate should consult his counselor and file a grievance. If, after filing the grievance, the inmate feels that the problem remains, he should then contact the following staff in this order: chief counselor, Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment, Warden and then the Ombudsman.
Generally, after an inmate serves one-third of his prison sentence, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles will consider his case. Learn more about how the board decides to grant parole.
Source: Georgia Department of Corrections. This information was prepared as a public service of the State of Georgia to provide general information, not to advise on any specific legal problem. It is not, and cannot be construed to be, legal advice. If you have questions regarding any matter contained on this page, please speak with the agency that is the source of the information.