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Must read Terms of Service & Privacy Policy and be at least 18

 
Munira_2017

I was wondering how many others with loved ones in Ohio Department of Corrections has started back visiting or have visited their wap pp? What's it like at each facility? How's the interactions? What's the differences from before and after?

I've been looking to schedule an meet my wap pp for the first time but an very nervous. Any suggestions?

 
Northernyank

Actually, that's not entirely true someone just had a contact visit at Coleman 1 but I think it was an unusual circumstance that day. 

 
Northernyank

Check to see if the facility that your friend is in is even allowing visits. I know most Federal prisons are on a constant yellow, I have no idea about State prisons. In one of the support groups I'm in I know no one has had any contact visits. Masked and behind glass, some institutions have video visits. 

 
Munira_2017

I finally went an made the in-person visit...I've been twice so far and both times were very different. The last being better but still not the way I've heard pre pandemic visit were. The first visit only 8 inmates from 1 unit could have 1 single visit a day during 1 time slot only and we were separated by a plexiglass shield. The second visit not segregated visit times and days and it was now full room capacity but no physical contact like hugs or handshakes but we could eat from the vending machines. The visit was only 1 hour in length both times.

I've never been to an ODRC prison before. I've however been to a PA prison many years ago and from what I hear they have finally started back visits but they are different from before. I no longer have family there but a friend of mine still has her husband, son and a brother in PA prison.

 
ST4s

Well, I’ve been visiting one of my buds in a quasi-quarantined federal facility lately and wrote about it here. Whether or how much of that applies to ODRC, I have no idea, but ODRC has some useful information on their website, here and here.

That said, visiting someone in prison for the first time, or going to a prison as a civilian for the first time, is kind of a shock to the senses. I experienced that shock myself when it was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. At this point though, many visits at several places later, all the prison-y stuff has kind of melted into the background for me, and it’s all about me and my bud, just hanging out.

To help yourself past the nervousness, I’d recommend devouring everything on the ODRC website that pertains to visitation – dress code, what to bring, what not to, blah, blah, blah. If you’re a woman, leave the underwire bra at home and wear something else that won’t set off the metal detectors (which are set to ultra-sensitive in these environments). Leave your cell phone in the car. Jot down your car’s license plate number (which you’ll need for part of the visiting form you’ll fill out inside). Bring your photo ID.

Much of the experience is like boarding a plane, well, except for all the razor wire. Think of it this way: that this incredibly intense degree of security is for YOU! For YOUR security! To keep YOU safe! So, feel the security, and trust that the highly trained people in charge of it, some of them in towers with deadly weapons, are doing the security thing for YOUR benefit, so you and your bud can be as safe as is humanly possible, and so you can just hang out and have a great time, carefree, while all these other people are keeping you so incredibly SAFE.

Best wishes! Visits are AWESOME!!!