Visiting in Iowa (Iowa DOC) | Prison Visitor Guide

Key info

Get on the approved list first. Every visitor must be on the incarcerated individual’s approved visiting list before visiting. The list is established through a Centralized Visiting Authority, and applications are submitted by mail to the Centralized Visiting Authority at the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility, 1200 E. Washington, Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641.

The list is capped. An approved list holds up to six approved visitors, plus immediate family.

Visits are scheduled through an app. Once a visitor is approved, both in-person and video visits are scheduled per facility through the Ameelio Connect mobile app.

Each institution offers visiting at least four days a week.

Reception: men enter the system through the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville; women enter through the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville.

Visiting days, hours, scheduling, and the rules inside the visiting room vary by facility and change over time. The Iowa DOC and the specific facility are the authoritative sources.

Getting on the approved visitor list

No one may visit an Iowa prison until they are an approved visitor on the incarcerated individual’s list. Iowa establishes that list through a Centralized Visiting Authority, which reviews each prospective visitor before adding them.

Applications are submitted by mail to:

Centralized Visiting Authority Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility 1200 E. Washington Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641

An approved list holds up to six approved visitors, in addition to immediate family and the incarcerated individual’s own minor children visiting under a parent’s or guardian’s supervision. Once established, the approved list stays valid across transfers within the Iowa system.

Scheduling a visit through Ameelio Connect

Iowa does not use a single statewide online scheduler. After a visitor is approved, in-person and video visits are scheduled per facility through the Ameelio Connect app, which runs on a mobile phone or tablet rather than a computer.

Download the Ameelio Connect app to a mobile device.
Create an account and verify identity with a government-issued photo ID and a selfie.
Add the incarcerated individual as a contact, identified by facility and ID number.
Wait for the Iowa DOC to approve the contact.
Schedule an in-person or video visit at the person’s facility.

Video visits

Iowa offers remote video visits through Ameelio. Video sessions are scheduled and held through the same Ameelio Connect app used for in-person visits, and are separate from any in-person visit. Whether a facility offers video, in person, or both, and any session details, are confirmed with the Iowa DOC and the facility.

Visiting days and hours

Each Iowa institution offers visiting on at least four days a week. The specific days, hours, and any scheduling requirement are set at the facility level and change over time. The Iowa DOC and the specific facility where the person is housed list the current schedule.

Reception and where someone enters the system

Where a person first enters the Iowa prison system depends on their gender:

Men: newly committed men are received and classified at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) in Coralville, the statewide men’s reception and diagnostic center.
Women: newly committed women are received and classified at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women (ICIW) in Mitchellville, Iowa’s only women’s prison, which houses the women’s reception center.

Families are not notified of routine transfers, and the approved visiting list follows the person across transfers. The Iowa DOC offender locator shows a person’s current location. See Transfers & Finding Someone.

Verify Before Acting

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.