Bringing Kids to Visit at Avoyelles Parish Detention Center: What Parents Need to Know

Bringing kids to visit takes extra planning, but the rules are straightforward once you know them. To visit at Avoyelles Parish Detention Center, you must be on the imprisoned person's approved visiting list. Not sure if you're on it? Check with the person you're visiting - the facility won't confirm visiting-list status by phone. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Any visitor under 18 must stay with a parent or legal guardian at all times while on facility grounds. No sending a teen to wait alone. No leaving kids in the lobby while you check in. And don't step outside assuming staff will watch them - children cannot be left unattended at any point.

A separate rule can affect whether a child is allowed to visit at all. People with current or prior convictions for sex crimes involving a minor - whether the child was a family member or not - cannot visit with any minor child unless the warden approves an exception. If you're unsure whether this restriction applies, confirm eligibility through the person you're visiting before bringing kids to the facility.

Infant Items

• ✓ Four diapers
• ✓ Two jars of vacuum-sealed baby food
• ✓ Two plastic bottles of milk or juice
• ✓ One change of clothing
• ✓ One baby blanket (maximum 48" x 48")
• ✓ One clear plastic bag of baby wipes

Visiting with an infant? Pack light and stick to what's allowed. Everything on the permitted infant list - except the baby blanket - must fit inside a single clear plastic container (a gallon-size zip-lock bag works). Expect those items to be searched, so keep things simple and easy to inspect.

Plan for screening when you arrive. All visitors, including minors, are subject to searches of their property, vehicle, and person. The process can include metal detectors, ion scanning equipment, and K-9s - both before you enter and sometimes during visits in the visiting area. Refuse a search at any point and you won't be allowed in. If a refusal happens after the visit starts, or if contraband or prohibited items are found, the visit will be terminated.

1. Arrive expecting screening - you (and any children with you) may be searched, along with your belongings and vehicle, and you may go through a metal detector or other screening.
2. Cooperate with the search process - refusing a search can stop you from entering, and can also end a visit that’s already underway.
3. Keep the visit calm and compliant - if staff believe ending the visit is necessary for safety or security, the warden or a designee may terminate it at any time.

Practical Tips

• ✓ Confirm you’re on the imprisoned person’s approved visiting list before you go (the facility won’t confirm this by phone).
• ✓ If you’re bringing minors, make sure a parent or legal guardian can stay with them the entire time.
• ✓ If you’re bringing an infant, pack only the permitted baby items (including limits like four diapers and a single baby blanket).
• ✓ Put all permitted infant items (except the blanket) into one clear plastic container (such as a gallon-size zip-lock bag).
• ✓ Assume everything you bring for the baby can be searched, and keep packaging simple so it’s easy to inspect.