What to Bring (and What to Leave Home) for Your First Visit to High Security Center

Start at the reception desk. You'll need to show proper ID to facility staff before entering, and they'll walk you through the check-in process from there. Plan around the schedule. Visiting days, hours, visit length, weekly limits, and how many people can visit at once are all set by the Warden - and daily operations can shift the timing. Not sure about the current schedule? Confirm before you go. Otherwise, you might make the trip for nothing.

• ✓ Wear simple clothing and minimize metal accessories so you can clear the metal detector quickly.
• ✓ Be ready to pass through a metal detector and, if asked, to complete a same-sex pat-down/hand frisk or wand search.

You'll need ID before you can enter, so make this your first priority. High Security Center accepts a valid driver's license, military ID card, or an ID card issued by the Departments of Transportation, Elderly Affairs, or the Division of Motor Vehicles. Two common mistakes trip people up: bringing the wrong type of card, or bringing paperwork that won't work for adults. Social Security cards and Welfare ID cards aren't accepted here. A birth certificate only counts as ID for minors - so if you're bringing a child, pack a copy of the child's birth certificate with your other check-in items.

Expect airport-style screening. Every visitor passes through a metal detector, and staff may also conduct a pat-down, hand frisk, or wand search. These additional searches are performed by a correctional officer of the same sex. The easiest way to avoid delays? Show up thinking "metal detector." Keep accessories minimal and wear straightforward clothing so you're not emptying pockets at the last second.

Bringing a minor? Pack a copy of the child's birth certificate - at High Security Center, that's the only valid ID for children. If the child isn't coming with a parent or legal guardian, you'll need written permission from the parent/guardian, and an adult must accompany the minor at all times. There's also a first-visit rule that catches families off guard: when a minor comes with an adult who isn't the parent or legal guardian, the parent/guardian must show up at the reception desk for that first visit. They'll sign paperwork authorizing the non-parent adult to bring the child on future visits.

Medication is extremely limited during visits. Nitroglycerin is the only life-saving medication visitors can bring into a visiting session. If you need to bring nitroglycerin, tell the reception officer at check-in. They'll notify the Visiting Room officer, and you'll place the medication - still in its original container - on the front right corner of the Visiting Room Officer's desk.