JM: How often could you receive visitors? Kristen: 1-2 times per week. It was on certain days and
there were certain times. Also you would have to
get your visitor list approved before you could
receive visitors. Renee: Once a week for one hour was visitation. We could have three
slots filled with three people, 20 minutes a piece. Chad: Visitors are allowed once per week at the Erie
County Prison. You 'visit' through a glass panel
and speak to each other through a phone. No
touching! Dennis: Once a week and it was via telephone and a two
inch glass window no contact.
JM: Was the check-in process lengthy for those who came to see you? Kristen: yes, they have to empty all their pockets and
search their belongings. Also, had to walk
through a metal detector, then wait until you
walked down to the visiting center. Renee: No, they gave their ids, and if they were on the list, we were
called down to the visiting area. Sometimes the wait was long. Chad: I was never told that it was a lengthy process.
They are usually not given a hard time as far as I
know. They usually have to have ID. Dennis: Not really they would only have so many seats in
the visiting room so they had to wait until
someone left. And they had to go through a metal
detector.
JM: What was the visiting environment like? Kristen: It was the nicest place in the prison. They have
vending machines, but only the visitors can put
money into the machine, because we are not allowed
to have possession of money. There is also a T.V.
with kids movies. They had games you could play
and children's books. They also have toys for
children. Renee: There were about 15 phones and glass separated us from our
loved ones. We used phones to talk. The area was loud and not
the cleanest. The glass was scratched so if you didnt have a
good spot it was hard to see. It was hard not to be able to hug
your loved ones. Chad: The visiting room in Erie County Prison is set up
like a big curve " ( " with little booths all
around the curve, and stools at each booth. Glass
separates you from your visitor, and they have a
stool and phone also. It can get loud there. You
can see everyone else's visitors, and they can see
yours. Dennis: Very depressing it was no contact it was only once
a week and it was only for one hour per week. They
had rigid steel stools you had to sit on for both
the inmate and the visitor.The telephones were old
and the quality of hearing left something to be
desired