Why Your Visiting Application Might Be Denied at MCF Moose Lake — And What You Can Check First

Planning to visit someone at MCF Moose Lake? Don't make the trip until your application is approved. The Minnesota DOC sends approval or denial notices to the email address you provided on your application - so keep an eye on your inbox.

• ✓ There’s an active court order that prohibits contact between you and the incarcerated person
• ✓ You’re a co-defendant or an accomplice to the incarcerated person in an active case
• ✓ You have any pending or open criminal cases
• ✓ You’re on probation and have been for less than one year and/or you’ve had probation violations within the last year
• ✓ You have protective orders with anyone incarcerated in the DOC (the application asks about this and requires details)

Some denials come down to technical mistakes you can catch before hitting submit. A common one at MCF Moose Lake: address mismatch. The address on your application must match the address on the ID you upload. If they don't match, your application gets denied. ID issues can also stop you cold. An expired or canceled driver's license won't work, even if it still looks like "your" ID. Before uploading anything, check the expiration date and confirm the ID shows your current address.

Applications also get denied when required sections are left blank or half-finished. The form asks for specifics in several areas - whether you've been a resource, volunteer, or employee at any Minnesota state correctional facility, and whether you're on another incarcerated person's visiting list at a Minnesota state facility. If you're on monitoring, probation, parole, or another release status, you'll need to provide supervision details, including your agent's name and contact information. The Spanish version of the application spells it out clearly: skip the required fields (including agent or county contact details), and your application will be denied. Take your time and complete every required field before you submit.

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• ✓ Check for any active court order that prohibits contact between you and the incarcerated person
• ✓ Make sure you are not a co-defendant or accomplice in an active case involving the incarcerated person
• ✓ Confirm you do not have any pending charges or open criminal cases
• ✓ If you’re on probation, confirm you’ve been on probation for at least one year and that you haven’t had violations within the last year
• ✓ Use a valid ID (an expired or canceled driver’s license does not qualify)
• ✓ Make sure the address on your application matches the address on the ID you upload
• ✓ If you’re on monitoring/probation/parole/release status, fill in your supervision details, including your agent/county name and contact information

Think your application was denied by mistake? Start with the email notification you received - it tells you whether you were approved or denied and may point to what went wrong. If the reason still isn't clear, contact the facility directly and ask what needs to be corrected before you reapply.