Miramonte Conservation Camp #5

Visiting Miramonte Conservation Camp #5

This is what the institution publishes, in the order you will meet it: when visits run, how to get approved, how to book, when to arrive, what you may carry in and who may come with you.

When visits run

Conservation camps continue in-person visiting on Saturdays and Sundays and hybrid video visiting. Camps in Open Phase offer in-person sessions between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.; visitors should contact the camp before travel because crews can be activated on short notice.

Getting approved first

You have to be an approved visitor before you can book anything. Approval starts with a Visitor Questionnaire, CDCR Form 106.

How to get the form: You cannot download it and send it yourself. The incarcerated person has to send the form to you, and they must sign it first — that signature is what confirms they want you added to their visiting list.

Filling it in: Fill it in completely. The questionnaire asks for every criminal conviction AND every arrest, including arrests that never led to a charge. CDCR runs a background check and will deny approval if the check turns up something the form left out, so list everything. If you cannot recall the details of an old arrest, give the approximate date and the reason as precisely as you can.

Where to send: Mail the completed questionnaire to the Visiting Sergeant or Lieutenant at the institution where the person is housed, addressed to the attention of “Visiting”.

Warning: Most prisons use a DIFFERENT address for mail to staff than for mail to an incarcerated person. Use the staff address. A questionnaire sent to the inmate mail address does not reach Visiting.

What not to do: Do not send the questionnaire to the incarcerated person. It will not be accepted.

How long: Processing time varies by institution, depending on how many forms it receives and how many staff are cleared to review them. CDCR publishes no standard turnaround.

Booking a visit

VSA is not used at fire camps. In-person visits are booked Monday through Friday for that weekend by calling or emailing the camp directly; video requests are emailed from 8 a.m. Saturday through 8 a.m. Monday for the following weekend. For this camp: MiramonteVideoVisiting@cdcr.ca.gov; (559) 336-2312.

Non-contact and restricted-housing visits

Non-contact visiting is not a choice — it is what applies while someone is in reception (newly admitted to CDCR, or just transferred between prisons) or is segregated.

Who: Reception status, Administrative Segregation, Security Housing Units, Adjustment Centers, someone pending specific rules-violation charges, or anyone assigned to a Behavior Management Unit.

Conditions: The visit happens through a glass partition. Staff escort the incarcerated person in handcuffs, and the handcuffs come off only once they are secured on their side of the booth.

With children: If you would rather a child did not see someone in restraints, wait away from the booth until they are settled.

Limits: Three visitors, not five. Length is limited — usually one to two hours, depending on the prison and on why the visit is non-contact.

How early to arrive

Visitors should call or email before traveling because fire crews may deploy on short notice. CDCR also cautions that early access varies and visitors should obey posted traffic and arrival controls.

Identification

Adults must present valid, current photo identification. Accepted forms listed by CDCR include a state driver's license or DMV ID, armed-forces photo ID, ICE ID, U.S. or foreign passport, or Mexican Consulate photo ID.

How many people may visit

Open-phase camp in-person visits permit no more than five approved visitors per incarcerated person.

Bringing a child

A visitor under 18 must be accompanied by an approved adult. CDCR requires a certified birth certificate; legal guardians also need proof of guardianship, and another accompanying adult needs the birth certificate plus an original notarized consent authorization renewed yearly.

What not to wear

CDCR bars clothing resembling incarcerated-person, law-enforcement, or military clothing; requires conservative/modest attire; and prohibits items that cannot clear a metal detector. Specific restrictions include strapless, halter, bare-midriff, sheer/transparent, very tight clothing, and skirts/dresses/shorts exposing more than two inches above the knee.

What stays in the car

Visitors are strictly limited to CDCR's published allowed-item list: limited cash, a small clear bag, two keys, ID, a nonmetallic comb/brush, tissues, prescription glasses, limited photographs/documents, specified baby items, approved medical/religious items, and service animals. Other unauthorized property should not be brought into the visiting area.

Video visits, and what a visit costs

Conservation camps continue hybrid video visiting. Incarcerated people with tablets are eligible for 15 minutes of free video calls every two weeks; audio calls are free.

Source: CDCR · CDCR — How to Get Approved to Visit an Incarcerated Person · CDCR — Types of Visits

Phone calls and money

Phone calls

Most incarcerated people can initiate outgoing calls; all telephone audio calls from California state prisons have been free to both sides since January 1, 2023, and calls are limited to 15 minutes.

Putting money on the books

CDCR permits three methods: fee-based EFT through ConnectNetwork, JPay, or Access Corrections (normally 1–3 days); a no-fee JPay lockbox; or a check/money order mailed to the institution (no fee, 30-day hold). Sender and incarcerated-person identifying information are required as specified by CDCR.

Source: CDCR

Inside the institution

Minimum-security conservation camp; CDCR states all conservation camps are minimum-security facilities staffed with correctional staff.

Source: CDCR

Programmes and release

Education, training and work

Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous, religious programs, GED and college courses.

Preparing for release

Before parole, participants may obtain a California ID card or handle specified driver's-license renewals, duplicates, or written testing.

Source: CDCR