Missouri updates prison visitor background check requirements

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., (KBSI) — The Missouri Department of Corrections is updating its background check requirements for people visiting state prisons.

Visitors must submit a new application before Oct. 1 if:

They applied before turning 18 and are now 18 or older.
Their most recent application was approved before Oct. 1, 2023.

Beginning Oct. 1, all visitors will be required to submit a new application whenever their approval reaches three years old or they turn 18.

Anyone without an approved application on file after the requirements take effect will not be permitted to visit someone housed in a Missouri Department of Corrections facility.

Applications are available at web.mo.gov/doc/pubVisit/appStart.do. Visitors with questions should contact the facility where their loved one is housed.