What to Bring (and What to Leave Home) for an Oklahoma DOC Visit
A smooth Oklahoma DOC visit comes down to two things: bringing the right ID and being ready for screening. Here's what to bring, what can be searched, and one item you should never carry into a secure area.
If you're 18 or older, you'll need photo identification to visit any Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) facility. Accepted forms include a state driver's license, or a state, federal, military, or school ID.
Your visitor application requires some paperwork too. You'll need to submit a copy of the front and back of your driver's license or state-issued ID card along with your request. Make those copies before you send anything in.
Minors Documents
- ✓ Original photo ID for every visitor age 18+ (state driver’s license, or a state, federal, military, or school ID)
- ✓ Copy of the front and back of your driver’s license or state-issued ID card submitted with the visitor application
- ✓ If you’re bringing a minor: documentation to verify guardianship (for example, a birth certificate or court/adoption papers)
Expect to be searched at entry. Everyone entering the facility perimeter gets, at minimum, a pat search. Oklahoma defines a "pat-down" as a noninvasive search done by hand, lightly skimming the exterior surface of clothing covering the legs and torso.
Anything you carry in can be checked. Bags, purses, boxes, and other personal items are all subject to search. Keep what you bring to a minimum, and expect staff to look through it.
Search rules extend beyond the front door. All vehicles and their contents are subject to search once you enter the facility grounds. Don't assume items are "safe" just because they're in your car.
A strip search isn't routine, but it can happen. A visitor may be required to submit to one when the warden (or designee) determines there is probable cause to believe that visitor possesses contraband.
Good to know: If a strip search is conducted, it must be performed by two trained staff members of the same gender as the visitor.
Do not bring your phone: Knowingly carrying a cellular phone or electronic communication device into a secure area is a felony, punishable by up to two years imprisonment, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
- Make your ID copies for the application (front and back) - ODOC requires a copy of the front and back of your driver’s license or state-issued ID with the visitor request.
- Bring your original photo ID to the visit - all visitors 18 and older must present photo identification at the facility.
- Build in time for screening - everyone entering the facility perimeter is subject to at least a pat search.
- Go “electronics-free” before you enter - knowingly bringing a phone or electronic communication device into a secure area can be charged as a felony.
Find an Inmate at John H. Lilley Correctional Center
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
