The Washington County Jail allows attorneys and their representatives to meet with inmates in a manner that maintains jail safety, security, and good order, and meets legal requirements. Visitors and inmates must comply with jail visiting rules.
Please review our procedures for contraband control and dress under Inmate Social Visiting. In addition, the following information applies specifically to attorney visits. Jail lobby staff will end or deny a visit for that day if the visitor or inmate violates a rule.
You will also be required to read and sign a Jail Visitor Agreement before your first visit with an inmate. We will keep the document on file so you will not need to sign a new one each time you return.
Professional Visiting Hours
The attorney of record for an inmate should visit during normal lobby hours, although staff members will work with attorney visitors to meet visiting needs on a case-by-case basis. If an attorney who is not named as "attorney of record" in the court file wishes to visit an inmate, the rules for social visiting will apply. Inmates are not required to visit any person.
Monday and Friday visiting hours are reserved solely for professional visitors. Professional visits may also occur during normal social visiting hours. The following table shows all hours available for professional visitors.
Visiting Hours
Day
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Monday
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Thursday
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Friday
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
No evening visits
Saturday and Sunday
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Holidays
8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Pre-court Appearance Visits by Attorneys
If you need to change or check an arraignment date, you may contact Court Calendaring Unit at 503-846-2297.
If you have questions about modifying a release agreement, responsible party questions, court appointed attorney concerns, or other types of arraignment issues, you may contact a Court Release Officer at 503-846-6360.
Representatives of Attorneys
Legal assistants, investigators, interpreters, polygraphers, and others who visit inmates on behalf of the inmate's attorney must have written authorization from a court or the inmate's current attorney of record. Authorizations from the attorney must be on the attorney or law firm's letterhead. Faxed copies are acceptable if lobby staff have verified the legitimacy by telephone with the attorney. Lobby staff will maintain copies of authorizations for regular visitors. If a representative does not provide the required authorization, the rules for social visiting will apply.
Sheriff-Issued Identification Cards
Attorneys and attorney representatives who visit the jail on a regular basis may request the Sheriff issue a special identification card for non-contact visiting. This allows the person to visit by showing the card rather than presenting both a bar card (or authorization document) and picture identification.
To obtain the card, the person must fill out an Attorney Identification Card Request (WCJ–197) and, if approved, pay a fee. The jail administrative sergeant will process all requests for possible approval. The person may keep the card in his or her possession as needed or have lobby staff hold the card in a central file.
The card remains the property of the Sheriff's Office and the person must turn it in upon request. Annually, the jail administrative sergeant will verify that each cardholder has a valid reason to possess a card.
Allowable Items For Professional Visits
Jail staff will let professional visitors take into the jail only those items needed for the business of the visit. Early case resolution attorneys may take a cell phone on a visit in a central visiting booth.
Passing Legal Documents
Attorney visitors may deliver documents and request jail staff pass them to an inmate for signature to negate the need for a contact visit.
Contact Visits
Professional visitors may request visits with inmates where personal contact is allowed, such as to review documents. The visitor must contact jail administration during normal business hours at least 24 hours before the desired visit. The person must explain why a contact visit is required. The jail commander designates which jail staff members have the authority to approve these contact visits.
In addition, such visitors must read and sign a Contact Visiting Agreement in advance of the first visit, and then again every two years as a refresher.
Contact Visitors Are Subject to Search
Lobby staff will closely inspect all containers and personal belongings that a visitor needs to take with them on a contact visit. In addition, deputies will frisk search all professional contact visitors before they will let them enter the secure perimeter of the jail. If a visitor declines a search, jail staff will not allow the person to visit the inmate under any circumstances.
