Visiting Rensselaer County Jail

Evenings, Seven Days a Week

Visits run every day in two periods:

Period	Time
First	6 PM to 7 PM
Second	8 PM to 9 PM

People in the Restricted Housing Unit are not in these periods.

Walk In, but Be an Hour Early

You do not book. Visits are first come, first served, if there is room. You must be fully checked in 60 minutes before the visit, or you miss that period.

Two Visits a Week

Each person held gets two visits a week, Monday to Sunday, with two visitors each time. A child under 4 on an adult’s lap does not count. Visits cannot be split to fit more people.

Your First Visit

Show the Visitation Control Officer a government photo ID. They add you to the person’s visitor log, a permanent record. Each time, you sign in with your name, address, the date and the person you are visiting.

Children

• Anyone under 18 comes with a parent or legal guardian, or brings written, notarized permission from one and comes with an adult.
• The jail’s Minor Visitation Consent Form is the form to use, and it must be notarized.
• Bring a birth certificate for anyone under 18.
• A 16- or 17-year-old who needs an exception, such as a spouse, can write to the Chief of Corrections.

Newly Arrived

A new arrival gets a secured visit within 24 hours, in normal visiting hours, which does not count toward the weekly two. Contact visits start only after medical clearance and classification.

Search

Everyone is screened electronically before and after visiting, and a K-9 team works in the visiting area. Money, wallets and purses go in the lobby lockers.

Dress Code

Not allowed: short shorts, mini-skirts, tube tops, tank tops, low-cut tops, see-through fabric, hats, hooded clothing, coats and jackets, and swimwear.

In the Room

A hug at hello and goodbye, and holding hands is allowed. Everyone stays seated, small children too. Photos can only come by mail, not at the visit. Leave the room and you cannot come back.

Video Visits

The Sheriff’s Office links GettingOut for remote video visits.

On Evenings You Can’t Make It

Visits run every evening, but you have to check in a full hour early, and each person gets two a week. On the other nights, Pigeonly prints a letter or photos from your phone and mails them to the jail.