How to Get Approved to Visit Someone at Joseph Harp Correctional Center (Step‑by‑Step)

You must submit a Visitor Application/Visitor Request Form through ODOC before you can visit. Showing up without approval usually won't get you in. If you're mailing a paper form, send it to ODOC headquarters addressed to the Visitation Unit - not to the incarcerated person. Use this exact mailing address: Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Attn: Visitation Unit, P.O. Box 11400, Oklahoma City, OK 73136-0400. Have questions while filling out the form? Call ODOC to confirm you're using the correct address and process. It's worth a quick check before waiting weeks on an avoidable mistake.

You'll need to prove your identity twice: once when you submit the form, and again when you actually visit. Include a copy of the front and back of your driver's license or state-issued ID with your application. When you arrive for your visit, you'll need that same photo ID in hand. Visitors 18 and older must present acceptable photo identification - a state driver's license, or a state, federal, military, or school ID all work. If you don't have one, you can get a state ID from an Oklahoma Department of Motor Vehicles office for a nominal fee.

Bringing a child requires extra paperwork. ODOC needs documentation verifying guardianship for minors - a birth certificate or court/adoption papers, for example. If the visitor is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign the Visitor Request Form. Missing that signature? The request will be denied.

If you're 18 or older, ODOC will run a background check as part of the approval process.

Approval can take up to eight weeks, so don't wait until the last minute. Once the process is complete, your loved one will be notified. They'll pass along the scheduled visitation date and time to you.

Be completely truthful and thorough on the form. Falsifying information or intentionally leaving things out can get your visitation privileges denied - and you'll have to wait 90 days before reapplying. If something is complicated (an old charge, a prior address), answer it clearly anyway. Skipping it makes things worse.

• ✓ If the visitor is under 18, make sure a parent or legal guardian signs the form (no signature = denial).
• ✓ Include documentation to verify guardianship for any minor visitor (for example, a birth certificate or court/adoption papers).
• ✓ Double-check that the minor’s information on the form matches the guardianship documents you’re including.

ID problems are another common reason applications stall. Make sure your front-and-back ID copy is readable and included with the request. Remember: visitors 18 and older must bring acceptable photo ID to the actual visit. State driver's licenses and state, federal, military, or school IDs all work. Don't have one yet? Get a state ID from an Oklahoma Department of Motor Vehicles office for a nominal fee.

After you mail the application, the hardest part is waiting. ODOC says approval can take up to eight weeks. When a decision is made, your loved one gets notified first - they'll tell you the scheduled date and time.

Need help with the paperwork or where to send it? Call ODOC's main line at 405-425-2500. Their physical address is 4345 North Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105. For mailed visitor applications, use the PO Box: PO Box 11400, Oklahoma City, OK 73136-0400, addressed to the Visitation Unit.

Quick Checklist Docs

• ✓ Completed ODOC Visitor Request/Application form
• ✓ Copy of the front and back of your driver’s license or state-issued identification card
• ✓ If a minor will visit: documentation to verify guardianship (for example, birth certificate or court/adoption papers)
• ✓ If the visitor listed is under 18: parent/legal guardian signature on the form