What Happens When You Arrive for a Visit at Natchitoches Parish Detention Center
Knowing what to expect at the door makes everything easier. You'll check in with staff, show your ID (if you're 18 or older), and go through security screening — both you and anything you bring.
You'll start by registering with staff before entering the visiting area. If you're 18 or older, bring a picture ID - you'll need to show it every time, even if you've visited before. Have it ready when you step up to the desk. It speeds things along and saves you from digging through your pockets while others wait.
- ✓ Valid driver’s license
- ✓ Valid state photo ID card
- ✓ Valid military photo ID (active duty only)
- ✓ Valid passport
After check-in comes security screening. At Natchitoches Parish Detention Center, everyone gets searched - adults and minors alike. Staff may screen your property, your vehicle, and you personally, so plan accordingly.
You'll likely walk through a metal detector and may be screened with ion scanning equipment. These tools check for prohibited items and substances - standard stuff. If something triggers the screening, staff may need to take additional steps before clearing you.
Note: Specially trained K-9s may be used as part of the search process both before you enter the visiting area and in the visiting room during visits.
Refuse a search and you won't get in. This applies even mid-visit - declining a search can end things right there. If something about the screening process makes you uncomfortable, stop and talk with staff before moving forward.
Bringing prohibited items into the visiting area can also end your visit. You cannot carry controlled substances, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, cameras, recording equipment, or electronic devices (including cell phones and pagers) inside. Leave anything questionable in your car before you even approach the desk.
Practical Tips
- ✓ Have your photo ID in hand before you reach the registration desk (required each visit if you’re 18+)
- ✓ Leave anything you can’t take inside secured in your vehicle before you check in
- ✓ Expect searches of your property, automobile, and person - and plan your arrival time accordingly
- ✓ Bring only prescribed life-saving or life-sustaining medication (for example: nitroglycerine pills, inhalers, oxygen) and only in the amount needed for the length of the visit
- ✓ Tell staff at the visiting desk that you have the medication before you enter
Reminder: If you refuse a search, you can be denied entry or have your visit ended. Bringing prohibited items can also terminate a visit, so double-check what you have with you before you walk in.
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