What to expect during the search process at Louisiana prisons (what visitors should know)
Visiting someone at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center (or another Louisiana prison)? The search process can feel intimidating your first time. Knowing what staff may check—and what to leave behind—saves time at the gate and helps your visit go smoothly.
Searches are standard at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Every visitor - adults and minors - can be searched. That includes your person, your belongings, and your car. The goal is simple: keep contraband out while treating visitors professionally and respectfully.
Note: Visitors under 18 must stay with a parent or legal guardian at all times while on Elayn Hunt grounds.
Think of the search process as covering three areas: you, what you brought, and the vehicle you drove. At Elayn Hunt, all visitors (including minors) are subject to searches of their person, property, and automobile. Plan for screening even if you're only coming in for a short visit.
Beyond standard checks, Elayn Hunt uses security tools like metal detectors and ion scanning equipment. You may also encounter search dogs (K-9s) - sometimes before you enter the visiting area, sometimes inside the visiting room during your visit.
The fastest way through screening? Expect it, follow directions, and keep what you bring to a minimum. Searches apply to everyone, including children. If you're bringing a minor, prepare them for metal detectors and other screening. K-9s may be present at entry points and inside the visiting room.
Medication reminder: Only prescribed life-saving or life-sustaining medication is permitted, and only in the amount you need for the visit. If you have it with you, tell staff at the visiting desk right away.
If a search turns up prohibited items, you can lose your visit. At Elayn Hunt, banned items include electronics and recording devices: cell phones, pagers, SIM cards, memory chips, batteries, chargers, cameras, and similar equipment. Controlled substances, alcoholic beverages, marijuana, and tobacco are also prohibited in the visiting area. Bring them and you'll be turned away - and the items will be confiscated.
A common reason people get delayed at the gate? Bringing too much. At Elayn Hunt, prohibited items and personal possessions - wallets, purses, cash - must stay locked in your vehicle during the visit. Bring them to the entrance and you'll have to walk back to your car and start check-in over.
Tips
- ✓ Bring a government-issued photo ID if you’re 18 or older (state driver’s license, state photo ID, active-duty military ID, or passport).
- ✓ Leave wallets, purses, cash, and other prohibited personal possessions locked in your vehicle for the duration of the visit.
- ✓ Do not bring phones, pagers, SIM cards, memory chips, batteries, chargers, cameras, or recording devices into the visiting area.
- ✓ Do not bring controlled substances, alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, or tobacco-related items.
- ✓ If you need prescribed life-saving or life-sustaining medication, bring only what you need for the visit.
- ✓ Tell staff at the visiting desk if you have permitted medication with you.
- Have your ID ready - If you’re 18 or older, you’ll need to show a government-issued photo ID each time you visit.
- Declare permitted medication at the desk - If you brought prescribed life-saving or life-sustaining medication, tell staff at the visiting desk that you have it.
- Complete screening as directed - Be ready for searches and additional screening methods (like detectors or K-9s) so you’re not caught off guard and delayed.
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