Before Your First Visit to Missouri Eastern Correctional Center (MECC): What to Do and Bring

Before you make the drive, confirm that your loved one is actually at Missouri Eastern Correctional Center and available for visits. Missouri's Offender Web Search shows active offenders supervised by the Department of Corrections - but it won't display discharged offenders, and some records may be withheld for safety or confidentiality reasons. If anything looks unclear, call to confirm before you travel. You don't want to arrive at the wrong facility or show up for someone who can't be located through the public search.

MECC holds visits on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There are two sessions each day: 9:30am–1:30pm and 2:30pm–6:30pm. Plan your day around these windows - you won't be able to check in outside the scheduled times.

MECC is located at 18701 US Highway 66, Pacific, MO 63069. Plug that exact address into your GPS to make sure you end up at the right entrance and parking area.

• ✓ Arrive in the parking lot no earlier than 30 minutes before visiting starts.
• ✓ Expect entry to be first-come, first-served.
• ✓ Don’t plan to leave anyone (or any pet) waiting in the car on institutional grounds - no person or pet may remain in a vehicle.

Bring Dress Checklist

• ✓ Bring only the basics you truly need, and be ready to secure personal items during the visit.
• ✓ Use the small lockers (available at most institutions) to store items like your purse, wallet, or keys while you’re in the visiting room.

• ✓ Skip tight, transparent, or revealing clothing.
• ✓ Avoid clothing with gang, racial, inappropriate, or inflammatory language or symbols.
• ✓ Don’t wear camouflage.
• ✓ Keep skirts, dresses, and shorts at or below the top of the kneecap when standing.
• ✓ Don’t wear wrap-around or slit skirts/dresses.
• ✓ Avoid pants with holes or slits.
• ✓ Choose tops that cover your chest, cleavage, back, and stomach - and have sleeves that cover the shoulders.
• ✓ Leave headwear at home unless it’s for verified religious purposes (it may still be subject to search).

Physical contact in the visiting room is limited. You're allowed one greeting embrace and one departing embrace, each with a brief kiss. Hand-holding during the visit is permitted.

Expect security screening when you arrive. Missouri DOC uses body scanners at adult institutions as part of the process to keep contraband out.

1. Empty your pockets and reduce metal - metal detectors are used at all facilities, so take off or secure metal items before you step up to screening.
2. Expect searches on prison grounds - when you enter, you, your packages, your children, and your vehicle are subject to search.
3. Prep kids for the process - if children are coming with you, let them know ahead of time that they may be screened too, and that they’ll need to stay with you and follow staff instructions.

Each offender can have up to 3 visitors at a time. If you're planning a group visit, coordinate ahead so you don't show up with more people than allowed.

Bringing young kids? Plan for close supervision the entire visit. Children age 6 and under may sit on the offender's lap - unless the offender is a sex offender - and an adult visitor must attend to children at all times.

Haven't been approved yet? Start there - MECC requires all visitors to be pre-approved through the visitor application. A criminal history check is part of the process, so fill out the application thoroughly and honestly. Once you submit the online form, it's sent electronically to the institutional case manager for processing.

Skip the online application if you're applying for clergy status or if a minor visitor wants to visit an offender restricted to "Adult Only" visits. Not sure if that applies? Contact the Institutional Case Manager before submitting anything.

Right before you leave, double-check the offender's location - especially if you're relying on Offender Web Search, since it won't show discharged offenders and some records may be withheld. Bringing children? Verify the current age cutoff rule for "additional visitors" with the institution or case manager. You don't want to lose your visit over a technicality.