How to Get Approved to Visit Someone at South Mississippi Correctional Institution
Getting approved to visit at South Mississippi Correctional Institution starts with paperwork—and the incarcerated person has to kick things off. Here's how the process works, step by step, so you don't waste time or book travel too early.
At South Mississippi Correctional Institution (SMCI), the visitation application process is inmate-initiated. Your loved one has to send you an Application for Visiting Privileges - MDOC doesn't post these forms online, and they won't email or mail blank applications to you. Until that packet arrives, you can't complete the official application.
Within 24 hours of arriving at an MDOC facility, inmates receive written visitation procedures. From there, it's on them to share the details you need - rules, schedules, and other visitation info - so you can plan ahead and avoid showing up unprepared.
Each inmate can have up to ten (10) visitors on their approved list at one time. Families sometimes need to coordinate, especially when several relatives want to visit.
Immediate family members stay on the visitation list permanently unless the inmate removes them. Once you're approved as immediate family, you remain eligible to visit unless your loved one takes you off.
- Read the entire packet first - Don’t guess at sections or skip instructions; the application is meant to be reviewed completely.
- Fill out every part of the Application for Visiting Privileges - Incomplete applications can slow everything down.
- Mail the completed application to the MDOC address listed in the packet - Use the address exactly as shown in the visitor application package you received.
Mail your completed application to the MDOC address listed in the visitor packet. That address is included in the materials your loved one sends you - MDOC doesn't make visitation forms available online and won't mail them out separately.
Note: Wait for written confirmation that your application was approved before making travel plans.
Approval isn't instant. Treat your application as pending until you have written confirmation. If you're unsure what to do next, check in with your loved one - inmates are expected to keep visitors informed about rules and schedules.
Travel tip: Don’t book a trip based on hope. Wait for written approval first.
Denials and Next Steps
- ✓ You are a convicted felon (unless you qualify for an exception with written superintendent approval)
- ✓ You are the offender’s victim (visits are not permitted without advance written superintendent approval)
- ✓ Visitation privileges have been revoked or suspended (visitation is a privilege and can be taken away for rule violations or based on facility conditions)
Some situations require extra permission. Convicted felons are generally prohibited from visiting unless they're immediate family and the superintendent grants written permission. If you're the offender's victim, visits won't be allowed without advance written approval from the superintendent. Keep that authorization handy - staff may ask to see it.
Quick Checklist
- ✓ A fully completed Application for Visiting Privileges (all parts filled out)
- ✓ If you’re 18 or older: a valid picture ID that shows your date of birth (driver’s license, state ID, or passport)
- ✓ If you are claiming to be the spouse: a certified copy of the marriage license, plus details about where the marriage took place and where/by whom the ceremony was performed
Heads up: Incomplete applications can delay approval. And even after you're approved, visitation can be suspended or revoked - it's treated as a privilege, not a right.
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