Before Your First Visit to an Ohio Prison: What to Bring and What to Leave Behind
Your first prison visit goes smoother when you show up with the right ID, the right clothes, and nothing extra. This guide helps you avoid delays at the door so you can focus on your loved one.
Start with your ID. When you apply to be approved for visits, you'll need to include a legible copy of your photo ID with the visitation application. On visit day, bring that ID again - you'll register every single time you come. This isn't a one-and-done step. If your ID is hard to read or you forget it at home, your visit could be over before it starts.
Leave anything questionable at home or locked in your car. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) has zero tolerance for certain items on prison grounds: drugs, alcohol, weapons, cash, and electronic communication devices like cellular phones and two-way radios. Even keeping something "just in your pocket" can turn into a problem at the entrance.
Warning: ODRC states it has zero tolerance for attempting to convey drugs, alcohol, weapons, cash, or cellular phones onto prison grounds - don’t risk your visit by bringing prohibited items.
Hoping to hand your loved one something during the visit? Plan ahead - visitors can't deliver packages, correspondence, money, or printed materials directly to incarcerated persons. Those items have to go through the mail process under policy, not passed across a table in the visiting room. Show up with something to drop off, and you'll be told it's not allowed.
Dress conservatively so you don't get turned away at check-in. See-through clothing of any kind is prohibited - that includes ripped or torn jeans with holes where skin shows through. Halter tops, tube tops, cropped tops, tank tops, and muscle shirts aren't allowed, and any outfit that exposes undergarments will get you denied. For bottoms, skirts, dresses, skorts, shorts, and culottes can't have a hem or split above mid-knee. If you're on the fence, choose something longer.
Arrival Tips
- ✓ Bring your bona fide photo ID and be ready to register at entry.
- ✓ Leave cash and cellular phones (and other electronic communication devices) off prison grounds - don’t bring them to the gate.
- ✓ Don’t bring drugs, alcohol, or weapons - ODRC treats these as zero-tolerance items.
- ✓ Keep what you carry to a minimum so check-in is faster and nothing prohibited ends up in your pockets.
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