Before You Book That Flight: What to Confirm Before Traveling to Visit South Mississippi Correctional Institution

Traveling to visit someone at South Mississippi Correctional Institution takes real planning - and real money. Before you book flights, reserve hotels, or commit to a long drive, confirm the basics. At MDOC facilities, visitation is a privilege, not a right. That means it can be revoked for rule violations or suspended based on facility conditions. MDOC urges visitors to make sure their application is approved before making travel plans. The last thing you want is to show up and get turned away.

Start with the application - you can't fix this at the gate. The inmate has to initiate visitation by sending you the "Application for Visiting Privileges." Once you receive it, read the packet carefully, complete every section, and mail it back exactly as instructed. After someone arrives at MDOC, they receive written visitation procedures within 24 hours. They're expected to pass along the rules, schedules, and details you'll need to follow on visit day. If anything seems unclear, get it sorted before you travel.

Even after you're approved, confirm that visitation is actually happening right now. Because it's a privilege, visitation can be revoked for inmates or visitors who break rules. It can also be suspended at any time based on conditions inside or outside the facility. A visit that was possible last month may not be available the day you arrive.

MDOC uses public notices to announce when visitation is suspended and when it reopens. For example, they posted about freezing visitation (July 27, 2021) and later reopening it (October 21, 2021). The takeaway: schedule changes happen, and official updates may be your only warning about a system-wide pause.

Contact Facility

• ✓ Confirm there are no interruptions in the visitation schedule for the day(s) you plan to come.
• ✓ Ask whether the inmate is on any restriction that temporarily removes visitation privileges.
• ✓ Verify any on-site procedures you’ll be expected to follow for that visit day.

Compare what you're hearing with what your loved one has in writing. MDOC provides written visitation procedures to inmates within 24 hours after arrival, and the inmate is responsible for sharing rules, schedules, and other details with visitors. If something doesn't match up, don't guess - confirm it before you travel.

Travel Risk Checklist

• ✓ Don’t buy nonrefundable travel until you’ve confirmed your visitation application was approved.
• ✓ Bring proper photo ID (Visitor ID card, driver’s license, military ID, or state ID) and be ready to sign the visitor sign-in log at check-in.
• ✓ Leave cell phones, wallets, purses/handbags, change purses, and similar items locked in your vehicle; MDOC is not responsible for personal property that’s lost, stolen, or damaged on prison grounds.

Before you leave home, do one last check. Confirm your application was approved, then contact the facility close to your travel date. Make sure there aren't schedule interruptions and the inmate isn't on restriction. That quick call can save you from a wasted trip.