What to Bring (and What to Leave Home) for a Visit to Southeast Correctional Center

Your visit to Southeast Correctional Center (SECC) will go much smoother if you show up with only what the Missouri DOC allows in the visiting room. You'll be screened at the entrance, and there are strict limits on what you can carry inside. Pack light, use clear containers when required, and leave anything questionable at home or locked in your car before you head to the front desk.

Want to use the vending machines? Bring coins only, and keep them in a clear sandwich bag or transparent plastic pouch. Pre-count them at home so you're not sorting change at the entrance while trying to get checked in.

You can bring medications or medical equipment needed to maintain life, such as nitroglycerin, insulin and insulin supplies, oxygen, or asthma inhalers. Keep everything in the original container and only bring the amount you need for the visiting period. Loose pills or items outside their original packaging can slow you down or get denied at the entrance.

• ✓ Notify the case manager in advance so staff are aware of your needs.
• ✓ Tell staff when you arrive if you will need medication during the visit.
• ✓ If you have special medical equipment, be ready to provide a physician’s statement (for example, for mobility devices or surgically implanted metal hardware).

Infant Items

• ✓ One clear carry-all
• ✓ Up to six diapers
• ✓ One blanket
• ✓ Three clear plastic bottles of prepared infant beverage
• ✓ One clear plastic no-spill toddler cup
• ✓ Three unopened vendor containers of baby food
• ✓ One plastic pacifier, teether, and/or rattle
• ✓ One small plastic spoon
• ✓ One unopened package of baby wipes

For an authorized food visit, you're limited to four containers total. Each one must be clear plastic and no larger than 9 x 9 x 4 inches. If your food is spread across extra tubs or oversized containers, you may be asked to take items back and pare down before entering.

Dress conservatively. The DOC dress code prohibits tight or excessively baggy clothing, along with anything transparent or revealing. If you're on the fence about an outfit, change before you leave the house. Getting turned away at the door is not worth the gamble.

Physical contact is limited. You're allowed one greeting embrace, one departing embrace, and a brief kiss. Holding hands during the visit is also permitted.

Visiting with young children? Kids age 6 and under may sit on the offender's lap during the visit, unless the offender is a sex offender. Keep that rule in mind when planning seating and supervision so there are no surprises once you're in the visiting room.

SECC uses multiple layers of screening. The Missouri DOC employs an Intercept full-body scanner along with walk-through metal detectors, hand-held metal detectors, and X-ray baggage scanners. All of this is designed to keep weapons, drugs, and other prohibited items out of the facility.

Before your first scan, the system stores your name and ID number. It also takes a photograph before you step into the full-body scanner, and that photo is kept on file within the scanner system.

1. Assume you will be scanned if you are 18+: Anyone 18 or older is subject to a scan using the full-body scanner.
2. Request an exception if you qualify: Exceptions can be approved for situations like a verified medical condition or pregnancy.
3. Submit the request to the right place: Non-staff visitors may request an exception from the facility warden or superintendent.