Donaldson Visiting Hours. What to Confirm Before You Go

Why This Page Can’t List Exact Visiting Hours

ADOC’s statewide facility directory and Donaldson’s own page on doc.alabama.gov don’t publish a specific visiting schedule for this facility. This is different from some county jails and other states, where hours are posted online. For Donaldson, the only reliable way to get current visiting days, hours, and rules is to call the facility directly at (205) 436-3681. Ask specifically for the current visiting schedule, since ADOC facilities can change hours without updating every online listing.

What to Ask When You Call

Since Donaldson doesn’t publish visitation details online, come prepared with specific questions when you call (205) 436-3681:

• What are the current visiting days and hours?
• Are visits contact or non-contact?
• Do I need to be on an approved visitor list, and if so, how does the incarcerated person add me?
• How many visitors are allowed per visit, and can children come?
• What’s the dress code?
• How far in advance do I need to schedule, if at all?
• Is the person I’m visiting in general population, the segregation unit, or the death row unit, and does that change visiting hours, format, or screening?

Getting on the Visitor List (ADOC Form 303-A)

Every approved visitor has to be on the incarcerated person’s visitor list first. Statewide, the incarcerated person submits ADOC Form 303-A, Inmate Visitation Form, to add someone to their approved list. A minor child needs a separate ADOC Form 303-B, Request for Minor Children to Visit, and must be accompanied by an approved parent or legal guardian, or by an approved immediate family member with a notarized authorization.

A few statewide rules apply to every ADOC visitor list, per ADOC’s Male Inmate Handbook (revised March 2026):

• Up to 8 adults and 4 minor children can be on the active list at one time.
• No more than 4 adults and 4 minor children can take part in a single visit, regardless of list size.
• The incarcerated person can change their visitor list once every 6 months, unless the Facility Head approves an exception.
• Newly admitted inmates aren’t eligible for visitation during their first 60 days in ADOC custody.
• If an immediate family member isn’t on the list and lives more than 500 miles away, they can request a special visit outside regular hours, limited to once every 6 months.

These rules are statewide, not specific to Donaldson, so ask (205) 436-3681 how the incarcerated person requests the forms.

ID Requirements

Bring at least one valid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID. A driver’s license, state-issued ID card, military ID, or passport should all work, but confirm accepted forms of ID with the facility when you call, since specific requirements aren’t published on ADOC’s site for this facility.

Custody Level and What It Might Mean

ADOC’s facility directory classifies Donaldson as Maximum security. The facility’s own descriptive page instead calls it a close custody facility. ADOC’s own sources use these two terms slightly differently here without further explanation, so this guide presents both instead of resolving which is more accurate. Either way, Donaldson houses a higher-security population than a medium or minimum-security ADOC facility, and visiting procedures at higher-security facilities are often more restrictive, involving additional screening steps like a walk-through metal detector or a more limited visitor list. None of that is confirmed specifically for Donaldson, so ask directly when you call.

Donaldson’s Segregation and Death Row Units

Donaldson operates the largest segregation unit in the State of Alabama, with a stated capacity of 300, and a death row unit with a stated capacity of 24 for people from the Birmingham judicial area under a sentence of death. If the person you’re visiting is housed in either of these units, visiting hours, format, and screening requirements may be different from general population visits. ADOC’s public site doesn’t detail those differences, so ask specifically when you call (205) 436-3681.

Dress Code

Every visitor must follow ADOC’s statewide dress code, per Administrative Regulation 303 (effective October 28, 2025):

• Dresses, skirts, pants, and splits or slits can’t be shorter than 3 inches above the knee.
• Blouses and shirts must cover the waist and chest area, and undergarments are required.
• No sundresses, sleeveless shirts, shorts, stretch pants, or tight-fitting trousers with elastic fabric. Trousers must reach at least the ankle.
• No scrub-type garments, or tight-fitting, sheer, or see-through clothes.
• No tan-colored clothing, or clothing that appears tan.
• No house shoes, slippers, shower shoes, or beach shoes.

What’s Not Allowed

Beyond clothing, ADOC prohibits visitors from bringing these items into any facility, per Administrative Regulation 303:

• Sunglasses, unless doctor-prescribed, and smart glasses with recording capability, including Meta glasses and Google Glass.
• Cell phones, video games, radios, MP3 players, laptops, or other electronics.
• Jewelry, except a wedding band or set and simple stud earrings.
• Medication or medical equipment, unless doctor-prescribed with advance Warden approval.
• Tobacco products, matches, or lighters.
• Firearms or weapons.
• Purses, briefcases, or duffel bags.
• Hats, caps, scarves, or headbands.

Visitors may bring up to $30 in change for the vending machines, or buy a $30 debit card at the facility. Bringing drugs, alcohol, weapons, or attempting to pass contraband to an incarcerated person is a felony and can lead to criminal charges and being barred from every ADOC facility, not just Donaldson.

Minors and Special Circumstances

Bringing a minor child requires ADOC Form 303-B, Request for Minor Children to Visit, completed by the non-incarcerated parent or legal guardian, notarized, and submitted with a birth certificate or other document proving the incarcerated person’s paternity or maternity. Parents or guardians bringing a baby can bring up to 4 disposable diapers (1 gets changed during the search), 1 small blanket, and 2 plastic bottles. Visitors needing an accommodation for a medical condition or mobility issue should raise it when you call (205) 436-3681, since specific accessibility arrangements aren’t published for Donaldson.

Who Can Visit

ADOC defines immediate family for visitation as mother, father, stepparents, foster parents, spouse, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, siblings, half-siblings, and in-laws. The incarcerated person lists these relationships on ADOC Form 303-E within 30 days of intake, and generally can’t add more later except a spouse married during incarceration.

Some people are excluded from any visitor list no matter the relationship, per Administrative Regulation 303:

• Ex-felons, parolees, and probationers can’t visit for 2 years after release. After that, an ex-felon must be immediate family, and parolees or probationers need written approval from their Parole or Probation Officer.
• Anyone in ADOC’s Community Corrections Program or Supervised Re-Entry Program can’t be on a visitation list.
• A crime victim of the person they’d be visiting is never approved.
• Current, former, or contract ADOC employees can’t visit unless they’re immediate family with prior Warden approval.

If Visitation Rules Are Broken

Breaking a facility or visitation rule can lead to escalating consequences, per Administrative Regulation 303:

• Denial: turned away for that specific visit.
• Termination: removed from the facility in the middle of a visit.
• Suspension: visitation privileges revoked for up to 6 months, with the option to apply for reinstatement afterward.
• Barred: removed from every ADOC facility for 6 months to an indefinite period, for serious or repeated violations like assaultive behavior, drugs, or weapons.

Before You Travel

Confirm the person is still at Donaldson using the ADOC inmate locator. People move between ADOC facilities, and a visit scheduled around outdated information wastes a trip. Call (205) 436-3681 the same week as your planned visit to confirm hours haven’t changed.