Somerset County Jail Visiting Hours and Scheduling

Visiting Days and Hours

Somerset County Jail’s family and friend visiting schedule is:

Day	Hours
Tuesday	6:30-7:30 p.m. and 7:45-8:45 p.m.
Wednesday	6:30-7:30 p.m. and 7:45-8:45 p.m.
Thursday	6:30-7:30 p.m. and 7:45-8:45 p.m.
Sunday	1:30-2:30 p.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m.

There is no visiting on Friday, Saturday, or Monday on the Sheriff’s Office’s published schedule. Some third-party websites list a different schedule for this jail, including Friday and Saturday hours. That version doesn’t match what’s currently published on somersetso.org, so use the schedule above and call to confirm if you have any doubt.

How to Schedule a Visit

Call the jail on Monday or Friday only, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and ask for the visit scheduling officer. Visits are not scheduled on a walk-in basis, and you can’t show up during visiting hours without having called ahead during one of these two windows.

A phone number worth double-checking. The Sheriff’s Office’s own website lists two different numbers for reaching the scheduling officer, Karen Blodgett, both ending in extension 2045: (207) 474-4709 on the family visiting schedule section, and (207) 474-7409 on the attorney visitation section (which is also the jail’s main published number). We could not confirm which one has a typo. Try (207) 474-7409 first, since that matches the jail’s main line, and ask staff to transfer you to the scheduling officer if needed.

Before you’ll be added to a visit list, the inmate has to fill out a Visit Request Form at booking, listing up to 6 adults and 3 children they want approved. That list can be revised on the 15th of each month. If you call to schedule and the jail says you’re not on the list, the inmate needs to add you first.

Visitor Limits and What to Expect

• Up to 2 adults plus 1 child under age 5 per visit, space permitting.
• Minimum visit length of 60 minutes.
• Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time. Late arrivals are not permitted to visit that day.
• Present a government-issued photo ID: a driver’s license, state-issued photo ID card, or military ID at minimum.
• A metal detector screening is standard. If it alarms, you may be asked to consent to a pat search. Refusing the pat search means the visit is denied.
• No cameras are allowed without prior written approval from the Sheriff or Jail Administrator.

Non-Contact by Default

The standard visit at Somerset County Jail takes place in the Main Visit Room and is non-contact, meaning you and the inmate are separated by a barrier for the entire visit. This is intentional, to limit the chance of contraband entering the facility. Contact visits are the exception, not the norm, and require a written request submitted to the Jail Administrator for approval on a specific date and time.

Dress Code

Clothing must cover the upper body at all times. Bare tops and miniskirts are prohibited. Dress modestly and plan for a metal detector screening, so avoid clothing or accessories with a lot of metal.

Rules for Children

Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who has passed the jail’s background check. A child under age 5 can be brought along within the 2-adult visitor limit. The jail’s rules require visitors under 18 to be supervised the entire visit.

Reasons a Visit Can Be Denied

The jail’s published visitation rules list the same denial reasons for every visitor:

• Being on active bail conditions
• Having pending criminal charges
• An active protection order or other court order prohibiting contact between the inmate and the visitor
• An active arrest warrant for the visitor (the Shift Commander will notify local law enforcement if this comes up at the door)
• Being currently under supervision of Probation and Parole, or a jail diversion program approved by the Sheriff
• Having been released from Somerset County Jail custody within the last 60 days
• Any known conviction for Trafficking in Prison Contraband
• Any previously identified behavior during a visit that violated the jail’s visiting rules

A visit can also be refused or ended early if a visitor violates the rules or jail staff reasonably believe the visitor poses a threat to the safety or security of the facility, staff, or inmate.

Attorney Visits

Attorneys get more flexibility than family and friend visitors. Non-contact attorney visits are scheduled with Officer Karen Blodgett at (207) 474-7409, extension 2045, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (specifically 8-11:45 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.). Contact attorney visits are scheduled with Officer Vanessa Keniston at extension 2050, the same weekday hours. The jail states it will accommodate weekend visits, evening visits, and even Zoom visits for attorneys who need to see their clients outside the standard schedule.

Video Visitation

Somerset County Jail offers Securus Video Visitation, which lets you visit from a home computer, Android device, or Apple device instead of coming to the jail in person. The Sheriff’s Office describes the cost as comparable to phone call rates. See the phone calls guide for more on how to set this up.

Handbook and Visitor Application Form. What We Found

We checked specifically for two things, as we do for every facility. Somerset County Jail does have a downloadable Inmate Handbook PDF, but it’s dated January 2010, and some of what’s in it, especially anything about mail, is out of date since the jail switched to scanned digital mail in November 2023. There is a specific visitor application process: an inmate fills out a Visit Request Form at booking listing up to 6 approved adults and 3 children, and can update that list monthly. That form isn’t a public download since it’s completed from inside the jail, but the process itself is confirmed and described above.