Attorneys and Legal Agents

Attorney/Agent Contact Visitation Information

Provided is information pertaining to Contact Visits for attorneys and/or their agents, including names and telephone numbers of staff persons responsible for ensuring an expedited entrance into the facility. In addition, the facility count times have been provided as well.

All attorneys/agents visiting the facility shall be accommodated in a timely manner and expedited to the front of the visitor line upon completion of Notification to Visitor Form (Policy 202 Appendix A1 or A2). A valid driver’s license as well as a current bar association card must be presented at time of check-in. The attorney/agent will then be instructed to record the following information into the attorney log book both prior to and after the interview:

Date and time entering facility
Name of attorney/agent
Signature
Address and immigration status
Detainee’s information: name and ID number
Time interview began
Any unusual requests: i.e. tape recorders etc.
Date and time departing facility

A token will be provided to each attorney/agent to secure personal items not needed for the interview in the designated attorney lockers. All legal materials accompanying attorneys/agents into the secure portion of the facility will be subjected to a search. Said search will merely be to determine the presence of contraband and no legal material will be read during this search. Any electronic devices; excluding laptop computers (pagers/cell phones) are not permitted within the secure portion of the facility. All other requests will need prior written approval from the Programs Administrator. The attorneys/agents will then be instructed to walk through the metal detector. Upon successful screening attorneys/agents will be allowed to enter into the secure portion of the facility. Upon entrance into the secure portion of the facility, the attorneys/agents will walk to the slider on the left side of the visitation lobby desk to enter the hallway outside the contact visitation room. After completion of the interview, all detainees will be removed from the contact visitation room, where the attorneys/agents will then be allowed to exit through the same hallway and slider originally entered through. Attorneys/agents will need to enter all exit information into the attorney log book, retrieve their id from the lobby officer and belongings from their locker before exiting the facility.

*Attorneys’ agents (law student, paralegal, legal assistant, or investigator) will only be permitted into the facility with prior written approval to the Programs Administrator at least two (2) days prior to the visit. Such letters should be on attorney’s law firm’s stationary and must include the following information pertaining to the agent:

Name
Title
Date of birth

**The agent must not be related to the detainee being visited, be on the detainee’s visitation list, and/or be a former detainee of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility.

*Paralegals and investigators are the only attorney agents permitted to meet with detainees without being accompanied by the representing attorney. However, prior approval from the Programs Administrator is required.

*Should an attorney/agent be denied entrance into the facility the denying party will notify attorney/agent as to the reasons entrance was denied. All attorneys and their agents are subject to the same policies and regulations governing visitors. The Warden or Major will then be notified of such actions by the Shift Commander.

*The following items are not permitted into the secure portion of the facility:

Outer coats or jackets
Money
Pocketbooks
Hand bags
Wallets

Advanced Calling – Contact Visitation

To ensure an expedited entrance for attorney contact visits, attorneys are requested to call prior to the visit. Attorney contact visits are held on all seven (7) days of the week, between the hours of 9a.m. and 9p.m.

Primary Contact - Lobby Officer (401) 729-1190
Secondary Contact - Program's Assistant (401) 721-0335
Associate Warden’s Assistant - (401) 721-0313

Facility Count Times: 3:00 a.m., 7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 10 p.m.
Official count times are in effect 20 minutes before count time begins and 20 minutes after count has been taken. Detainees will not be able to be taken out of count during these times for any visit.

*Should an attorney/agent be delayed access for more than 20 minutes the Lobby Officer will notify the Shift Commander and inform him/her of the delay and submit an incident report noting the time the attorney arrived and the reason for the delay.