Home pass

On May 24th, I submitted paperwork so Ted could get his first home pass.

During home visits, inmates have to remain at home near a telephone land-line, so the work release center authorities can check up on them.

Inmates can get a home pass once a week (presumably on weekends, since they have jobs). The first visit home lasts four hours. The second visit lasts six hours and every visit thereafter is eight hours.

On the home pass, inmates are forbidden to consume alcohol or drugs. Someone has to personally take responsibility for the inmate and provide proof of car insurance, car registration, a copy of his or her driver’s license, two passport photos and a copy of a home phone bill. This approved person drives them from the Center to home and back again within the allotted time period. The inmate has to call in to the Center as soon as they arrive home.

I called Ted’s classification officer – who works out of the St. Pete C.I. – last week to find out the status of my home pass application. She said she received it from the work center on June 1st and it takes 4 – 6 weeks to process. A background check needs to be completed. Never mind that I already went through a background check in order to be able to visit Ted in the other four prisons. The warden, classification officer and work release center all have to approve another background check.

So I guess Ted won’t be coming home for the 4th of July after all. By the time the home visit is approved, he will have less than one month of time to go.