How to Visit Someone at Wasco State Prison

Step 1. Get on the Approved Visitor List

Before you can schedule anything, the person you want to visit must request CDCR Form 106, the Visitor Questionnaire, and send it to you. They have to sign it themselves, confirming they agree to add you to their visitor list. At a reception center like Wasco, this can take longer than usual because staff are also processing a large, fast-moving intake population.

Step 2. Fill Out the Questionnaire Completely

The form asks for every arrest and conviction you’ve ever had, even ones that never led to charges. CDCR runs a background check against California’s law enforcement records system, and an unlisted arrest or conviction that turns up in that check is a common reason for denial. If you’re unsure of exact dates, give your best approximate answer instead of leaving it blank.

Step 3. Mail the Questionnaire to Wasco

Send the completed form to the Visiting Department at Wasco State Prison, P.O. Box 8800, Wasco, CA 93280. Do not put the inmate’s information on the outside of the envelope, since that can route your application to the person instead of the Visiting Department and delay processing. Processing time varies with how many applications the institution is working through.

Step 4. Wait for Approval or Denial

If approved, both you and the incarcerated person are notified, and you’re added to the system as an approved visitor. You don’t need to carry proof of approval with you. If denied, you’ll get a letter explaining why. You can resubmit a corrected questionnaire, or appeal in writing to the Warden, and then to CDCR’s Division of Adult Institutions if you disagree with the outcome.

Step 5. Schedule Your Visit Through VSA

Once approved, book your visit date and time through CDCR’s Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA) at cdcr.gtlvisitme.com/app. Wasco-Reception Center uses VSA for all scheduled visits. Reception center visits are by appointment only, with no walk-ins. Call (661) 758-8400 to confirm hours before you travel.

Wasco’s Visiting Hours

• Friday: 12:00pm to 6:30pm
• Saturday: 8:00am to 2:30pm
• Sunday: 8:00am to 2:30pm

Staff may allow a 30-minute grace period after your scheduled appointment time. You’re allowed onto prison grounds up to 30 minutes before your appointment or walk-in time (for Facility A/M processing), but arriving earlier and waiting in the parking lot can get your visit canceled.

Walk-In Visits for Facility A and M

Wasco accepts a limited number of walk-in visits for Facility A and M only: Friday 12:00pm to 2:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday 8:00am to 10:00am. Appointments are always processed before walk-ins, and walk-in space isn’t guaranteed. No walk-in visits are processed for anyone housed in the reception center.

Restricted Housing Unit (RHU) Visits

If the person is in the Restricted Housing Unit, visits are by appointment only and run on a shorter schedule: Friday 12:00pm to 1:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday in two blocks, 8:00am to 10:00am and 10:15am to 12:15pm.

Overnight Family Visiting

Wasco offers extended Family Visiting for eligible incarcerated people and their immediate family on a Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday schedule, with visitors asked to arrive between 9:00am and 10:00am for processing. Family Visiting is separate from regular visiting and isn’t booked through standard VSA slots, so contact the institution to ask about eligibility and what you can bring.

What to Bring

Every adult visitor needs valid, unexpired photo ID: a driver’s license from any state, a state DMV ID card, a military ID, an ICE identification card, a US or foreign passport, or a Mexican Consulate photo ID. You don’t need to bring proof of your visitor approval since it’s tracked electronically. Note that Wasco has reported system-wide issues scanning visiting documents, so bring the physical originals of any birth certificates, doctor’s notes, or similar paperwork.

Bringing Children

Minors under 18 must be accompanied by an approved adult visitor. A certified copy of the child’s birth certificate must be brought every time, even if the child has visited before. If a parent brings their own child, the birth certificate is enough. If someone other than the legal parent or guardian brings the child, you also need a notarized Minor Consent Form, with the notary stamp on the form itself, not on a separate page. Consent forms must be renewed each calendar year.

Dress Code

CDCR’s attire rules apply at every institution, including Wasco. Avoid anything resembling state-issued clothing (blue chambray or denim), law enforcement or military-style clothing, and anything metal that won’t clear a detector, like an underwire bra. Specific restrictions include no strapless, halter, bare midriff, sheer, or transparent clothing, no skirts or shorts more than two inches above the knee, no clothing exposing the breast, genitals, or buttocks, no tight or form-fitting attire, and no wigs or hats without prior approval. Children under 36 inches tall are exempt from the clothing color and material rules, though they still have to clear the metal detector.

What’s Not Allowed

Visitors can be turned away for clothing that doesn’t meet the dress code, for being under the influence, or for bringing prohibited items into the visiting area. If an officer says your outfit isn’t acceptable and you believe it complies, you can ask to speak with the Visiting Sergeant or Lieutenant, who has the final say. Keep a backup outfit in your car in case, since Wasco is roughly a half-hour from Bakersfield by car.

Video Visiting

Wasco State Prison no longer offers video visiting. Contact between visits is by free phone calls and by mail, plus any messaging available through the person’s tablet.

Getting There and Parolee Pickups

Wasco is at 701 Scofield Avenue, about a half-hour north of Bakersfield by car. Parolee pickups and drop-offs are handled at the Bakersfield Amtrak/Greyhound station, 601 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, not at the prison gate.