Bringing Children to Visit at Parkersburg Corrections Center (WV): Checklist for Parents and Guardians

To register a child under 18 for visits, you must be able to prove you're their parent or legal guardian. Have documentation ready - birth certificates, custody papers, or guardianship orders - since staff may ask for proof during the approval process or at check-in.

Before anyone can bring a child in, the child's parent or legal guardian must already be on the offender's approved visiting list. Not sure if you've been approved? Confirm your status before making the trip. This is one of the most common reasons families get stuck at the front desk.

1. Call the facility where the offender is located - ask about background check approval and whether you’re on the approved visiting list.
2. Confirm before you travel - don’t assume you’re approved just because you submitted paperwork.
3. Schedule only after approval is clear - the facility can tell you what the next step is once your approval is in place.

If someone other than the parent or legal guardian is bringing the child, that adult needs a notarized permission slip from the parent/guardian. Bring the original document - staff will want to see it in hand.

• ✓ Get a permission slip signed by the child’s parent/legal guardian
• ✓ Have the permission slip notarized
• ✓ Bring the original notarized permission slip with you to the visit

Day of Visit Checklist

• ✓ Proof you’re the child’s parent or legal guardian (required to apply/register a child under 18)
• ✓ If you’re the parent/legal guardian: confirmation that you’re on the offender’s approved visiting list
• ✓ If you are not the parent/legal guardian bringing the child: the original notarized permission slip signed by the parent/legal guardian
• ✓ Phone/fax/mailing details for visit paperwork questions: WV Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation Bureau of Juvenile Services, Attn: Visitors Request, 1409 Greenbrier Street, Charleston, WV 25311; Phone: 304-558-2036; Fax: 304-558-6032

To get approved for visits (so you can bring a child), start by contacting the facility where the offender is housed for a background check and to schedule visits. Mail your completed visiting request form to: WV Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation Bureau of Juvenile Services, Attn: Visitors Request, 1409 Greenbrier Street, Charleston, WV 25311. Need to follow up? Phone: 304-558-2036. Fax: 304-558-6032.

1. Contact the facility where the offender is located - ask about background check approval and how to schedule visits once you’re cleared.
2. Complete the visiting request form - fill it out fully so it can be used for the background check.
3. Send the completed request - mail it to WV Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation Bureau of Juvenile Services, Attn: Visitors Request, 1409 Greenbrier Street, Charleston, WV 25311, or fax it to 304-558-6032.
4. Follow up by phone if needed - call 304-558-2036 to check on paperwork questions or status.

Two issues cause most problems: the parent/legal guardian isn't actually on the approved visiting list yet, or a third-party caregiver shows up without the notarized permission slip. Either one can end your visit before it starts. Double-check your approval status and paperwork the day before you go.

• ✓ Verify the parent/legal guardian is on the offender’s approved visiting list before a caregiver brings the child
• ✓ Don’t travel until the facility confirms background check approval/scheduling details
• ✓ If a non-parent/non-guardian is bringing the child, bring the original notarized permission slip (not a copy)