What to Wear (and What NOT to Wear) When Visiting Ohio Reformatory
If your clothing fails the dress code or slows you down at the metal detector, you can lose precious visiting time. Use the checklist below to walk in prepared.
Quick Checklist
- ✓ Wear appropriate undergarments (for example: a bra, slip, and underwear).
- ✓ Pick an outfit you can keep on for the entire visit. The clothing you wear into the facility has to stay on for the duration of the visit (only appropriate outerwear like a coat and gloves is the exception).
- ✓ See-through clothing of any kind.
- ✓ Torn or ripped jeans, or any clothing with holes that let skin show (no skin should be visible through clothing).
Even if your outfit passes the dress code, certain items can set off the metal detectors and hold up your entry. Ohio Reformatory's visiting instructions call out a few common culprits. Plan around them and you'll get to your visit faster.
- ✓ Hairpins
- ✓ Underwire bras
- ✓ Certain boots and shoes
- ✓ Clothing with multiple zippers
- ✓ Excessive jewelry
Tip: If you know one of these items will be on you, swap it out before you leave home. That's almost always faster than getting held up at screening.
Every visitor is searched upon entry. Expect screening at the door and follow staff instructions as you move through the process.
Your clothing plays directly into that entry process. Show up in prohibited items (like see-through tops or ripped jeans that expose skin) and you can be stopped before you ever reach the visiting room. Even with appropriate clothing, metal-heavy accessories and features like multiple zippers can trip the detectors and delay your entry, cutting into your visit time.
Plan ahead: You cannot carry extra clothing into the visit. The outfit you wear in must stay on the entire time (except appropriate outerwear like a coat and gloves).
- Go light on metal - Leave excessive jewelry and extra hairpins at home so you are less likely to trigger the detector.
- Choose simpler clothing - Avoid outfits with multiple zippers, since they are specifically listed as a common source of delays.
- Pick shoes that screen cleanly - Certain boots and shoes can set off the detector, so wear a pair that is less likely to cause issues.
- Bring only appropriate outerwear - If you need a coat or gloves, that outerwear is the exception. Do not plan on bringing extra clothing to change into.
Reminder: Whatever you wear into the facility must stay on for the full visit, except appropriate outerwear such as a coat and gloves.
If you get turned away, stay calm and ask front-entry staff exactly what caused the problem. Since all visitors go through screening, staff can tell you what needs to change before you'll be allowed through.
From there, you'll need to change into clothing that meets the rules before trying again. Focus on the basics that are easy to miss: wear appropriate undergarments, and pick an outfit you can keep on for the entire visit (only a coat and gloves count as removable outerwear).
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