Before Your First Visit to RJ Donovan: What Not to Bring and What to Expect at Security

Your first visit to RJ Donovan will go a lot smoother if you plan around PA Department of Corrections visiting rules. The same system and guidelines control how visits are scheduled and how visitors are processed at the door. Show up with extra people, extra stuff, or anything that triggers security, and you can lose the visit before it starts. Keep your car, your pockets, and your plans simple.

Before you walk up to the entrance, treat your vehicle like it will be inspected. All visitor vehicles on facility property are subject to search. Your car also needs to be secured while you're on the grounds: keep it locked, windows closed, and make sure any equipment you brought (like ladders or toolboxes) is secured. If you have anything loose, valuable, or questionable sitting out, handle it before you park and head in.

• ✓ Lock your vehicle before leaving it
• ✓ Roll up or close all windows
• ✓ Secure any equipment you brought (for example, ladders and toolboxes)
• ✓ Put away loose items and valuables so nothing is left out in the open

Expect airport-style screening when you arrive. Every visitor must pass through a metal detector, and everyone is subject to search, regardless of age. It can feel intense the first time, but it's routine. The goal is straightforward: keep unauthorized weapons, drugs, and other contraband out of the facility.

• ✓ Empty your pockets before you step up to screening
• ✓ Keep accessories simple so you are not setting off the metal detector
• ✓ Avoid large jewelry and other bulky metal items that slow down screening

Here's a rule worth planning around: there is no waiting area. Don't bring someone who can't visit and expect them to sit in a lobby or wait on-site. Anyone who isn't visiting must leave the facility grounds. And if you ignore visiting regulations, the consequences go beyond a ruined day. Violations may lead to a suspension of visiting privileges.

1. Confirm who is actually visiting. Only bring people who are approved and prepared to go through entry screening.
2. Arrange off-site waiting. If someone is driving you or coming along but not visiting, have them leave the grounds.
3. Keep your group simple. Fewer complications at the gate usually means a faster, calmer check-in.

If money is confiscated during a search, DOC policy says it gets deposited into the Inmate General Welfare Fund (IGWF). The practical takeaway is simple: bring as little cash as you can. Don't assume you'll be able to carry extra money through security and get it back later.

DOC search policy also covers how property is handled when too much personal property is found in an inmate's cell. The inmate can sometimes designate who items should be shipped to and must pay shipping costs. If that's not possible, items are removed and the inmate receives a written list of what was taken and how it was disposed of. While that applies to property inside the facility, it reflects a broader theme you'll notice as a visitor: when staff remove items under policy, it's a documented process, not a casual exception.

Still have questions before you go? Contact the facility directly, especially about prohibited items or visit logistics. For visitation system questions, you can also email the DOC Central Office at ra-crdocinmatevss@pa.gov. PA DOC provides an Inmate Visitation System and a visitor guide that can help you schedule or join in-person and video visits, so you're not guessing right before you leave the house.

• ✓ Call the facility directly with RJ Donovan-specific questions (hours, approvals, prohibited items)
• ✓ Email PA DOC Central Office for visitation system help: ra-crdocinmatevss@pa.gov
• ✓ Use the Inmate Visitation System and the visitor guide for scheduling or joining a visit