How to Fill Out and Submit the CT Inmate Visiting Application (Form CN 100601)

To visit someone in a Connecticut state prison, you file a CT inmate visiting application — Form CN 100601 — with the facility where the person is housed, then wait up to 30 days for the Department of Correction to run a background check and add you to the inmate’s approved visiting list. Visiting is treated as a privilege, not a right, and the facility can restrict or deny it for security reasons.

Where to Get Form CN 100601

The application is posted on the CT DOC visiting page at portal.ct.gov and can be downloaded and printed any time.¹ The inmate can also ask the facility to mail blank copies to prospective visitors. Every person who wants to visit needs their own completed form, adults and children alike.²

The current version is labeled CN 100601, last revised February 2023. Some older guides still call it IPC-6601. If that is the form you have, download a fresh copy before mailing it in.

Filling Out the Application

The form has three sections: inmate information, your personal details, and a questionnaire. Incomplete or unsigned applications are not processed, and false answers are grounds for automatic denial.³

Inmate Information

At the top you enter the inmate’s full name, their CT DOC inmate number, and the facility or unit where they are currently housed. The inmate should have all three. If they have been transferred recently, confirm the current location before you mail anything, because sending the form to the wrong facility causes delays.

Your Personal Details

You will need to provide your full legal name including any suffix, date of birth, maiden or former names, street address (a P.O. box is not accepted), phone number with area code, gender, and your relationship to the inmate. Write legibly. Staff key your information into their system, and a misread letter can stall the background check.³

The Questionnaire

The second page is a set of yes-or-no questions, and every one has to be answered.³ They cover:

Criminal history, including convictions, current probation or parole, and pending charges
Whether you are already approved to visit someone at another CT DOC facility
Whether you are or have been a DOC employee, volunteer, or contractor
Whether you are identified as a victim in any case involving the inmate
Whether you need disability accommodations during the visit
Whether you use a pacemaker or defibrillator (if yes, bring a signed letter from a licensed healthcare provider confirming the device)

Answer honestly. The department runs your information through law enforcement databases, so an undisclosed conviction or warrant will surface, and the dishonesty itself becomes a separate reason to deny you.

Applying to Visit With a Child

Every child under 18 needs their own CN 100601, signed by a parent or legal guardian, with the guardian’s full name and address included.³

Children cannot visit alone. Under Administrative Directive 10.6, a minor must be accompanied by an approved adult: an immediate family member already on the inmate’s visiting list, an expanded family member with written guardian authorization, or an adult authorized by the Department of Children and Families.² That accompanying adult also needs their own approved application.

If someone other than the parent will bring the child, the parent or legal guardian completes the authorization section on the form, confirming they have legal authority over the child and know of no legal prohibition against the child visiting the inmate.³

Where to Send the Form

Mail the completed application directly to the correctional facility where the inmate is housed, not to DOC headquarters. Each facility’s mailing address is on its own page through the CT DOC website.¹

Allow up to 30 days for processing. The department does not typically send approval or denial letters to your home. Approved visitors are added to the inmate’s visiting list, and the inmate is responsible for passing that news along. If you have not heard anything after 30 days, the application may still be in review, or it may have been denied.

If you are denied, you can appeal in writing to the facility’s Unit Administrator within 10 calendar days of being notified.³

Common Reasons an Application Is Denied

Administrative Directive 10.6 identifies several groups who face restrictions or automatic barriers:²

Anyone with an active warrant or a pending criminal case will not be placed on a visiting list while that status exists.
People with criminal convictions are not automatically approved. You can ask the Unit Administrator in writing for permission, but approval is not guaranteed.
Identified victims need written approval from the Unit Administrator. If a protective or restraining order was ever issued, it must have been expired for at least two years before you can even be considered.
DOC employees are generally barred unless the inmate is an immediate or expanded family member, and even then both the employee’s supervisor and the facility administrator must approve in writing.
Visitors who live in a state currently under Connecticut’s travel advisory are not permitted entry for social visits.
Supplying false information on the application is an independent ground for denial.

Even after approval, the facility can suspend or terminate visiting privileges for contraband concerns, disruptive behavior, or failure to follow facility rules.²

What to Bring and Wear on Visit Day

Getting approved is only half of it. Showing up without proper ID or in the wrong clothes gets you turned away at the door.

Photo Identification

Every visitor must show valid photo identification to enter.¹ If you do not have a standard government-issued photo ID like a driver’s license or state ID card, some facilities will accept a raised-seal birth certificate together with a Social Security card.⁴ Check the facility’s visiting page before you drive out.

Dress Code

Administrative Directive 10.6 requires visitors to dress with “reasonable modesty.” Clothing the facility considers revealing, provocative, or offensive can get you denied entry or removed from the visiting room.² The CT DOC visiting page adds that attire presenting a safety or security risk can result in refusal.¹ Stay conservative and fully covered. Avoid anything sheer, excessively short, or bearing offensive graphics. You will walk through a metal detector, so minimize jewelry, belt buckles, and hair pins.

Personal Belongings

No personal belongings are allowed in the visiting room unless the Unit Administrator specifically authorizes an exception.² Cell phones and other electronics are banned from the facility entirely.¹ If you are visiting with an infant, you may bring one clear bottle prefilled with formula or milk, a small cloth, and a pacifier. Watches are prohibited in the visiting room for both visitors and inmates. Leave valuables in your car.

How Long Visits Last

In-person visits run a minimum of 30 minutes and can extend to one hour if the facility administrator permits.² An inmate may receive only one visit from the same visitor per day. Schedules vary by facility, and no visits take place on state-observed holidays.¹ Check the facility’s own page for the current schedule, contact number, and directions.

Video Visits Through Microsoft Teams

Connecticut also offers free remote video visits through Microsoft Teams. You need a smartphone, laptop, or tablet with a camera and microphone; the app is free to download.¹ You must already be on the inmate’s approved visiting list before you can schedule one, so the CN 100601 process still comes first.

To request a video visit, submit the Visit Request Form on the CT DOC visiting page and include a valid email address. The visit is not confirmed until the facility sends a confirmation email, so check your junk folder. Log into the Teams session at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start so staff can verify your identity and screen participants.¹

Up to three approved adult visitors can join a single session. Video visits last 30 minutes to one hour, the same dress code and conduct rules apply, and recording the session with a personal device is prohibited.¹

1
Connecticut State Department of Correction. Visiting
2
Connecticut Department of Correction. Administrative Directive 10.6 – Inmate Visits
3
State of Connecticut Portal. Visiting Application
4
Connecticut State Department of Correction. New Haven CC Visiting Policies