This page describes how to do a one-on-one visit with an inmate at LBJ. There are two ways you can find out when a man in jail wants one-on-one religious counseling. The first is that he fills out what is called a ‘tank’ order. He specifies on the tank order if he wants a Catholic counselor. We then are given all of the tank orders requesting Catholic counseling. The tank order might request a specific person (which is not common), or just general Catholic counseling. The second way is that he can request it at your service. You can get his booking number, first and last name, and what pod he is in.
Here are the steps for doing a one-on-one visit. This information is from Mike P (thanks Mike), with editing by me. I will update it if necessary as I learn more.
- The tank orders are in a slot on the shelf where we sign in. You need to get the pertinent information from the tank order, which is: Name, Booking number, and Housing unit. Use that information to fill out the form in the visitor lobby to visit the inmate. The forms are on the table in the center of the visitor lobby. See below (item 7) for more information on the tank orders.
- After filling out the visitation slip in the lobby, hand it to the DO at the window, along with your badge. After a wait, the DO will come out to give you your printouts, and have you come through the metal detector.
- If you have a blue badge, you can conduct the visit in a classroom on the Level where the inmate is, or the chapel (if it’s not being used), or on the mezzanine level for that floor. If you have a yellow badge, you are limited to doing one-on-one visits on the mezzanine level.
- Mezzanine Level: Go to the mezzanine level, and after exiting the elevator, go to the 1,2, 3, or 4 side (depending on which the inmate is on). For example, say the man you’re visiting is in 23A. Then go to Level 2M, and the ‘3’ side. Once there, press the speaker button. When the DO comes on, tell him the information about the inmate you’re visiting (name, pod, cell number). They will allow him to come in after they pop the door on their side of the room. As I said before, if you have a yellow badge, your one-on-one visits are limited to the mezzanine level. This is a good way to do the visits, but there are two disadvantages to the mezzanine level compared to using a classroom. One is that you must talk to the inmate through a metal screen. You can see through it and communicate, but there is that barrier between you. Second, there is only one room for visiting. If somebody else (i.e. a lawyer or probation officer) is behind you waiting for the room, then that may limit the time you have to spend with the inmate.
- Chapel or Classroom: This can sometimes be tricky. The DO may be resistant to let you see the man in the classroom. It depends on the situation and the DO. You can ask the DO “May I have a clergy visit with this man in the counselor office?”. Hand the DO the slip and have him call the man out. Sometimes the man will be handcuffed, other times not. If you notice the DO is busy and there is a lot of activity, you might want to go to the mezzanine. If the DO doesn’t want to let you use the classroom for whatever reason, just tell him that you’ll use the mezzanine instead. Note that you’ll have to ask the DO to call the elevator for you in this case. (If you’re on the floor with the inmates, there is no button to push for the elevator; if you’re on the mezzanine, there is a button to push to call the elevator).
- After you do the one-on-one visit, you must put the tank order in the ‘completed tank orders’ slot. Also, please let me know so I can move it to the ‘completed’ folder online.
- Typically, the man you visited will want more one-on-one visits. You can ask him if he wants you to visit him again. The answer will always be yes. It’s up to you whether you want to continue visiting him, and how often to visit.
- I hope you volunteers enjoy the experience of one-on-one visits. The men really appreciate them. You will get insights into what goes on in the pods that you normally wouldn’t get. Don’t be surprised if a guy cries, and it’s a good idea to bring some tissues for him just in case, and maybe yourself too!
- Here are some more details about the tank orders:
- If you come to LBJ to do a one-on-one, and you don’t have the tank order, you have to get it first before you can fill out the visitation form. If you let the D.O. know, they will let you slip through the metal detector to get the tank order, and then come right back out to fill out the form (i.e. you shouldn’t have to go through the metal detector twice).
- As an alternative to getting the tank order from the mailbox, I have scanned all the tank orders and put them online. The link to them can be found on the LBJ website here. When you click this link it will ask you for a password. Use the same password I have provided you previously (to access the volunteer list). If you don’t have the password, let me know and I’ll send it to you. I can’t guarantee that the tank orders online always match what’s at the jail. I suggest that you verify that the inmate information is still accurate by going to this link: https://www.mcso.org/custody-bureau-information/inmate-information. You can use the booking number to look up the inmate’s current status.
- The tank orders online are named as follows:
<date in yyyymmdd format>-<name>-<booking number>-<location>.pdf
The date is the date that the tank order was received. You can look at the <location> field to see tank orders for men on the floor you visit. For example:
20180515-Earl-T409225-22A.pdf
This is a tank order for a man whose last name is Earl, booking number is T409225, and who is in pod 22A. He submitted the tank order on May 15, 2018.