Your First Visit to a Vermont Prison: Complete Checklist (What to Bring and What to Expect)

Start by confirming the visiting schedule for your specific facility. At Northwest State Correctional Facility (NWSCF), visits are organized by last-name blocks - A–D might be Saturday from 8:30am–10:30am, for example. Show up on the wrong block, and you won't get in. Next, verify you're actually on the inmate's approved visiting list. Vermont DOC caps that list at ten people, and it can't include victims of the person's charge or offense. Not on the list yet? Plan ahead. Changes to the visitor list can only be made every ninety (90) days. That timing catches a lot of families off guard, especially for first-time visits.

Every adult entering needs a valid, government-issued photo ID. You'll present it to the correctional officer on duty when you check in.

Pack light - and assume you can't hand anything to your loved one during the visit. Vermont DOC rules prohibit visitors from conveying any item to an inmate, including money, jewelry, photographs, and papers. Tobacco products are also banned inside the facility. One narrow exception: legal paperwork that needs a signature. But you'll need permission from the Superintendent or a designee beforehand. Get that squared away in advance so you don't show up with documents you can't bring in.

1. Arrive early for your visiting period - if you arrive thirty (30) minutes or less before the end of the visiting period, you won’t be processed for approval to visit.
2. Check in at the visiting reception desk - report to the facility’s visiting reception desk on the scheduled visiting day.
3. Sign the Visitor Registration Log - your visit starts with registration; don’t skip this step, even if you’ve visited other facilities before.

Expect airport-style screening. Everyone passes through a metal detector before entering the visiting room. If it alerts, staff may ask you to remove certain items and try again.

Take contraband rules seriously - even if something's just sitting in your pocket. Tobacco products aren't allowed inside, and you can't pass money, jewelry, photographs, or papers to an inmate during a visit. You'll see posted warnings when you arrive. Vermont DOC facilities display signs at the entry and on the main access road stating that visitors and vehicles are subject to search. Those signs also warn that bringing weapons, drugs, or alcohol onto the property is a crime - and violators will be prosecuted.

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• ✓ Confirm the visiting schedule for your facility (at NWSCF, visits are scheduled in last-name blocks).
• ✓ Bring proper government-issued photo ID for each visitor.
• ✓ Leave tobacco products and anything you might be tempted to pass along (money, jewelry, photos, papers) at home or locked away.
• ✓ Arrive with enough time to check in - don’t show up within 30 minutes of the end of the visiting period.
• ✓ Report to the visiting reception desk and sign the Visitor Registration Log.
• ✓ Be ready to pass through a metal detector (or a pat search if you have a documented implant/prosthetic/pacemaker).

If something feels unclear on the day of your visit, use what the facility provides. Every Vermont DOC facility posts visiting rules, schedules, and a contraband list in the lobby. They also produce a visiting-information publication for the public. Keep the facility's contact number handy before you travel - it can save you a wasted trip.