Bringing Your Child to Visit: What You Need to Know About Minor Visitors

Children under 18 do not need to be pre-approved to visit an inmate. That's one big step off your plate, especially if you're planning a first visit and already juggling paperwork.

The child doesn't need pre-approval, but they can't come in alone. A minor must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who has physical custody, and that adult must already be on the inmate's pre-approved visiting list. So really, the facility is checking the adult's approval status. The child visits as an accompanied minor.

If you're not the child's parent or legal guardian with physical custody, you can't simply bring the child along. You'll need to submit a completed Minor Consent Form and get the Superintendent's approval before the visit. Plan ahead here: approval must be secured before the visit takes place, not at check-in.

The Massachusetts DOC publishes facility-specific visiting procedure PDFs, including one for North Central Correctional Institution. Those documents are your best bet for confirming the current process for submitting paperwork and handling Superintendent approval for minor visits.

Documents to Bring

• ✓ The child’s birth certificate (original or copy)
• ✓ Official hospital records that verify the child’s birth, the child’s date of birth, and parent information (if you are using hospital records instead of a birth certificate)
• ✓ If you have it, bring the original document(s). Copies are allowed, but originals can make check-in smoother.

If the inmate is named as the parent on the child's birth certificate, they can sign the Minor Consent Form themselves. This is one of the few situations where the incarcerated parent can directly handle the signature requirement for a minor visitor.

1. Gather proof of the child’s identity and parent info. Bring an original or copy of the birth certificate, or official hospital records that verify the birth, date of birth, and parent information.
2. Confirm whether you need a Minor Consent Form. If you are not the parent or legal guardian with physical custody, you must complete the Minor Consent Form.
3. Get Superintendent approval before the visit. For non-parent, non-custodial adults, Superintendent approval is required in advance, so do not wait until the day of the visit.

Before you go, check the Massachusetts DOC's facility-specific visiting procedure PDFs. They spell out the visiting process by institution, including North Central Correctional Institution. If you need to talk to someone, Mass.gov directs you to the Massachusetts Department of Correction's agency page for contact information.