How to Contact an Inmate at Ross Correctional Institution (OH)

You'll need to reserve visits through the online visitor portal. The timing window is strict: book no less than seven days ahead and no more than 30 days before your visit date. Last-minute visits aren't an option here.

Need to cancel? Do it at least 24 hours before your scheduled visit time. Waiting until the day of the visit is too late under the facility's cancellation rule.

Bring a current, government-issued photo ID for check-in. Accepted forms include a Driver's License, State ID, or Military ID. Show up without proper ID and you'll be turned away.

Bringing a child? The paperwork requirements start at age five. Children five and older must be approved visitors, and you'll need documentation like a birth certificate, custody paperwork, or a minor authorization entrance form (if required).

Travel light. Cell phones, electronic devices, and keys (other than your vehicle key) aren't allowed inside. Leave them secured in your car. If you arrive by public transportation, lockers are available for storing these items.

Physical contact during visits is limited. You're allowed one hug at the beginning and one hug plus one kiss at the end. No other touching in between.

The mailing process has changed. As of January 30, 2025, personal letters and cards must be sent to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Mail Processing Center (OMPC) at 884 Coitsville-Hubbard Road, Youngstown, Ohio 44505. Include the incarcerated person's name and number in the address as shown in the OMPC example format. Questions about OMPC? Email ODRCMailProcessingCenter@drc.ohio.gov or call 1-330-333-7372.

Steps to Follow

• ✓ Reserve your visit through the online visitor portal within the required window (no less than 7 days, no more than 30 days before the visit).
• ✓ If you need to cancel, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled visit.

• ✓ Bring a current, government-issued photo ID (Driver’s License, State ID, or Military ID).
• ✓ If a minor child age 5 or older is visiting, make sure they are an approved visitor and bring the required documentation (birth certificate, custody paperwork, or a minor authorization entrance form if required).

• ✓ Leave cell phones, electronic devices, and extra keys out of the institution.
• ✓ Secure those items in your vehicle when possible.
• ✓ If you are using public transportation, plan to use the provided lockers to store items that are not permitted inside.

• ✓ Keep physical contact to what is allowed: one hug at the start, then one hug and one kiss at the end, with no other touching during the visit.

• ✓ Address personal letters and cards to the ODRC Mail Processing Center (OMPC), not directly to the institution.
• ✓ Use the incarcerated person’s name and number in the address exactly as required.
• ✓ For OMPC mail questions, email ODRCMailProcessingCenter@drc.ohio.gov or call 1-330-333-7372.

Before building travel plans around a visit, double-check the reservation process in the online visitor portal. Make sure the 7 to 30 day scheduling window is still in effect. Portal steps can change, and a quick check saves you from booking the wrong date range.

Verify the cancellation policy before you schedule, especially if you're coordinating childcare or long-distance travel. The posted rule requires cancellations at least 24 hours ahead. Confirm whether there are any rescheduling limits tied to late cancellations.

Check what IDs are currently accepted at check-in and whether alternate IDs are allowed in special situations. If a child age five or older is visiting, confirm exactly which documentation staff will require that day: birth certificate, custody paperwork, and whether a minor authorization entrance form applies to your situation.

Rules on what you can bring inside are strict. Confirm the current prohibited-items list before you leave home. Phones, electronics, and non-vehicle keys must stay in your car. If you're arriving by public transportation, verify how the locker storage works when you get there.

Mail policies are changing right now, so confirm you're using the current OMPC addressing format and the correct effective date for routing letters and cards. Not sure whether your mail qualifies as personal correspondence going through OMPC? Use the OMPC contact information to ask before you send it.

If you haven't visited in a while, confirm the current visit-room conduct rules. The written policy limits contact to one hug at the beginning and one hug plus one kiss at the end, with no other touching. Ask if there are additional visitation rules you should know about before your visit.