How to Visit Someone at California State Prison, Sacramento

Step 1. Get on the Approved Visitor List

Before anything else, the person you want to visit has to request CDCR Form 106, the Visitor Questionnaire, sign it, and send it to you. This step confirms they’re adding you to their approved visitor list.

Step 2. Fill Out the Questionnaire Completely

The form asks for your full arrest and conviction history, even anything that never led to charges. CDCR checks your answers against law enforcement records, and mismatched information is one of the most common reasons an application gets denied. If you’re unsure of an exact date, put your best estimate instead of leaving the field blank.

Step 3. Mail the Questionnaire In

Send the completed form to California State Prison, Sacramento, 100 Prison Road, Represa, CA 95671, attention Visiting Sergeant. If you have questions while your application is pending, call the Visiting Sergeant at (916) 985-8610 ext. 5010.

Step 4. Book Through VSA

Once approved, schedule every visit ahead of time through CDCR’s statewide Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA) at cdcr.gtlvisitme.com/app. Appointment slots open at 6:00am, 8 days before your visit date, and close at midnight, 5 days before. Book early since slots fill up.

CSP-Sacramento’s Visiting Hours

• Friday: 11:15am to 6:00pm. All visitors must be checked in by 3:30pm.
• Saturday: 7:15am to 2:00pm. All visitors must be checked in by 11:30am.
• Sunday: 7:15am to 2:00pm. All visitors must be checked in by 11:30am.

The Arrival Window

CSP-Sacramento gives visitors up to 2 hours after their scheduled VSA appointment time to arrive before the appointment is canceled. That’s a wider grace period than some CDCR institutions use, but don’t count on it. Arriving close to your scheduled time gives you the best chance at a full visit before check-in closes.

Walk-In Windows

CSP-Sacramento opens separate walk-in windows once all scheduled appointments for that window have been processed: Friday 1:30pm-3:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday 9:30am-11:30am. Walk-ins are first-come, first-served and depend on available visiting space that day, so they’re never guaranteed the way a booked VSA appointment is.

One Visit Per Day

CDCR limits each incarcerated person at CSP-Sacramento to 1 visit per day, no matter how many separate visitor groups want to see them. Coordinate with other family members ahead of time if more than one group is hoping to visit the same day.

Visitor Limits

Up to 5 visitors are allowed per visit. CDCR’s own guidance says children under 2 are welcome, though its materials don’t spell out whether an infant counts toward the 5-visitor cap, so confirm with Visitor Processing if you’re bringing a large group with an infant.

Before You Go, Check CIRIS

CDCR recommends checking the CIRIS inmate locator at ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov before you travel, in case the person has been moved to a different housing unit or transferred to another institution since your last visit.

Dress Code

CDCR’s statewide visiting rules apply at CSP-Sacramento. The following are not allowed:

• Clothing that resembles state-issued inmate attire in any shade, including blue denim or chambray shirts with blue denim pants, and grey sweatshirts or sweatsuits.
• Law-enforcement, military-style, or camouflage-patterned clothing, except for active or reserve U.S. military members visiting in uniform with a valid Armed Forces ID.
• Medical professional uniforms, including doctor’s jackets, gowns, and scrubs.
• Clothing that exposes the shoulders, midriff, chest, genitals, or buttocks, or that’s sheer, transparent, or excessively tight, including spandex and leggings.
• Skirts, dresses, or shorts that expose more than 2 inches above the knee, front or back, including slits.
• Clothing or accessories with obscene or offensive language, drawings, or objects.
• Shoes without a solid sole, including shower shoes and bedroom slippers.
• Hats or gloves, unless approved ahead of time or worn in genuinely bad weather, and even then without logos.
• Wigs, hairpieces, extensions, or headpieces, unless approved ahead of time for a medical reason.
• Anything that can’t be removed and won’t clear a metal detector, including underwire bras and metal-buttoned clothing.
• Bandanas.

CSP-Sacramento’s own visiting page adds one practical tip worth following: bring a change of clothes in the car. If your outfit doesn’t clear the dress code, you can swap and try again instead of losing the trip entirely.

Non-Contact Visitation

Non-contact visits are scheduled through VSA the same way as contact visits, opening 6:00am 8 days ahead and closing at midnight 5 days ahead, with 2 exceptions: people housed in general population (GP) or the Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP) don’t use this process for a routine visit. Non-contact visits happen through a glass partition and are capped at 1 hour. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled non-contact appointment. Visitor Processing closes at the same times as contact visiting, 3:30pm Friday and 11:30am Saturday and Sunday.

People restricted to non-contact visits only include those still in Reception (recently admitted or transferred and not yet classified) and those in segregated housing, meaning Administrative Segregation, Restricted Housing, Security Housing Units, Adjustment Centers, anyone pending specific rules violation charges, or anyone in a Behavior Management Unit.

Overnight Family Visiting

CSP-Sacramento runs overnight family visits twice a week: Wednesday through Friday, and Friday through Sunday. Arrive at Visitor Processing between 10:00am and 11:00am on your start day. Call ahead if you expect to arrive later than 11:00am.

Pack only essentials, since excess items aren’t permitted. You’ll need to bring:

• A valid ID.
• The original marriage certificate or domestic partnership certificate, if that applies to your visit.
• Birth certificates for all minors, and for any adult siblings of the incarcerated person joining the visit.

A minor visiting overnight must be an immediate family member and must be accompanied by an approved immediate-family adult. If that adult isn’t the minor’s own parent or legal guardian, you also need a current notarized written approval from a parent or guardian, and the notarized form has to specifically state that the visit is a family overnight visit. Missing any of this documentation can get the overnight visit canceled on the spot, so double-check everything before you travel.

Birthday Celebration Program

CSP-Sacramento runs a Birthday Celebration Program for children whose birthday falls on or near a scheduled visiting day. Bring a new, unwrapped gift, with the receipt, packed in a gift bag, to Visitor Processing at least 1 week before your planned visit date. The gift has to be for a child under 18 and has to stay under $30 in value. Staff bring the gift into the visiting room so the incarcerated parent or relative can present it to the child in person.

Donations

CSP-Sacramento accepts donations of certain items to support its visiting program. Ask Visitor Processing staff what’s currently needed, and complete the required authorization form before donating anything.

CSP-Sacramento Is Not Folsom State Prison

CSP-Sacramento shares an 882-acre property with Folsom State Prison and Folsom Women’s Facility, but these are 3 separate institutions with their own wardens, mailing addresses, and visiting rules. If someone you’re trying to visit is actually housed at Folsom State Prison or Folsom Women’s Facility, the process on this page does not apply to them. Confirm the exact institution name on CIRIS before you plan a trip.

What’s Not Allowed

Visitors can be turned away for dress code violations, missing ID, arriving outside the arrival window without a valid appointment, or arriving without required paperwork for an overnight family visit. Routine visits with someone housed in general population or the Enhanced Outpatient Program follow the standard contact-visiting process above; non-contact visiting applies mainly to people in Reception or segregated housing, as explained above.