How to Get Approved to Visit Someone at MCC New York: Background Checks, ID, and What the Web Visiting System Stores
Visiting someone at MCC New York starts before you ever show up at the door. Here's how the approval process works, what background checks happen, what ID you'll need each visit, and what the BOP's Web Visiting System (WebV) keeps on file about you.
Everything starts with the person who's incarcerated. They need to request a Visitor Information form and send it to you. Fill it out, submit it to the BOP, and wait for approval. Once approved, your information goes into the BOP's Web Visiting System (WebV) - the database they use to manage and track all inmate visiting activity.
Tip: Don’t plan a trip until the Visitor Information form has been completed, submitted, and approved.
Once your information is entered, you'll go through a background check. The BOP records visitors in their ACES system, which runs at least an NCIC check to verify the information you provided.
Approval doesn't mean you're done showing ID. Every single visit, you'll present a legal photo ID at the entrance. Staff compare it against what's already in the system before letting you through.
Reminder: Bring a legal photo ID every time. Your information gets validated through checks (including NCIC) and matched against your stored record.
What Webv Stores
- ✓ Approved visitor name
- ✓ Relationship to the inmate
- ✓ Date of birth
- ✓ Sex
- ✓ Race
- ✓ Ethnicity
- ✓ Driver’s license or state ID number
- ✓ Passport number
- ✓ Alien registration number
- ✓ Legal residence
- ✓ Phone number
- ✓ Date of approval
WebV is how the BOP keeps visiting organized. It stores identifying details about approved visitors - your name, date of birth, ID document numbers - so staff can match you to the correct inmate and track visiting activity. The information you submit on your Visitor Information form, plus the details from your ID, all become part of your visitor record.
The BOP's ACES/Web Visiting system logs everyone entering and exiting federal facilities - approved visitors included. This tracking serves several purposes: safety and security, accounting for people on-site during emergencies, screening visitors for suitability, and managing overall visiting activity.
The BOP cites federal authority for collecting this data, including 18 U.S.C. §§ 3621, 4042, and 5003.
Practical Checklist
- ✓ Make sure your incarcerated loved one has requested the Visitor Information form and sent it to you.
- ✓ Fill out the Visitor Information form and submit it to the BOP for approval.
- ✓ Bring a legal photo ID every single time you go to visit.
Two systems work together here. WebV stores your visitor information tied to the inmate you're visiting. ACES/Web Visiting logs everyone entering and exiting the facility. The bottom line: your visit isn't just "on a list." It's connected to a record containing your personal identifiers - name, date of birth, ID numbers - and that record tracks your visiting activity at the facility.
Privacy reality check: WebV stores your identifying details. ACES/Web Visiting logs when you enter and exit the facility.
WebV handles the record-keeping, but day-to-day procedures can shift based on facility operations. Before you go, call MCC New York directly to confirm current visiting details.
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