What Happens If a Drug Dog Alerts During Your Visit to MCI Norfolk

MCI Norfolk uses passive drug-detection dogs at random during entrance screening. If a dog alerts on you, staff will pull you aside and ask for consent to search. This guide covers what happens immediately after an alert, what refusing a search means for your visit, the potential consequences if drugs are found, and your options if you're barred from future visits.

The Massachusetts Department of Correction deploys passive drug-detection dogs at random intervals during entrance screening at secure facilities, including MCI Norfolk. These dogs screen everyone coming in, not just visitors, to reduce the chance of illegal drugs entering the facility. "Passive" means the dogs are part of a controlled checkpoint process at the entrance rather than roaming searches.

When a drug-detection dog alerts on you during screening, staff will have you step out of line. They'll then ask you to consent to a search. What happens next depends on whether you agree and what, if anything, turns up.

Refuse the search and your visit ends immediately. Staff won't allow you inside, and you'll be required to leave the facility.

If prohibited drugs are found during the search, the consequences are serious. The DOC may bar you from visiting any DOC facility, and you could face criminal prosecution. This affects not just MCI Norfolk but visits across the entire DOC system.

If you're barred, you still have options. Barred visitors can request a review or reconsideration from the Facility Superintendent under the current Visiting Procedure regulation. Keep your request focused and organized to make it easier for the facility to evaluate.

• ✓ Leave anything prohibited at home or in your car before you enter the facility grounds.
• ✓ Bring only what you need for the visit, plus basic identification.
• ✓ If a dog alerts, follow staff instructions, step out of line when asked, and decide promptly whether you will consent to a search.
• ✓ If you are barred after drugs are found, request a review or reconsideration from the Facility Superintendent under the Visiting Procedure regulation.