Mixed — re-entry/program housing and higher custody (men) · State Prison · MDOC

Walnut Grove Correctional Facility

Walnut Grove, Leake County, Mississippi

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (601) 253-0700 Info last verified: June 2026

A state-run men's prison in Leake County, reopened in 2021, that combines a re-entry and substance-abuse program with higher-custody housing.

Statewide rules that apply at every MDOC state prison

These rules are set by MDOC and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Mississippi.

Dress code

Shirts and closed outdoor shoes required; underwear required (a bra for women). No tank, crop, sleeveless, or strapless tops, spaghetti straps, or bare midriffs.
Nothing see-through, overly tight, or revealing — no yoga pants, leggings, spandex, hip-huggers, jogging or biking shorts, mini-skirts, or cutoffs.
Shorts must reach the knee; skirts and dresses no shorter than one inch above the knee, with no slit above the knee when seated.
No hats or head coverings except for religious reasons; jewelry limited to a wedding ring, a religious medallion, and a medical-alert bracelet — no body-piercing jewelry.
The dress code applies to children too, and a violation turns the visit away and can carry a one-year visiting suspension.

ID: Visitors 18 and older present a valid government photo ID (driver's license, state ID, or passport). Ages 16-17 need a photo ID showing date of birth; children 15 and under bring a legible birth certificate.
What to bring: No phones, wallets, purses, tobacco, or cash inside — leave them locked in the vehicle. Visits are cashless, with prepaid vending cards sold in the visit area; one infant diaper bag is allowed (up to 4 diapers, 2 bottles, a change of clothes, a pacifier, and wipes).
Scheduling: The incarcerated person starts the visitor application — forms come only from them, never online — lists up to 10 visitors, and tells visitors the days and rules. Up to 5 visitors per visit; frequency runs by custody level (about four times a month at minimum custody down to once a month at close custody). MDOC posts no schedules, so confirm days and hours with the facility.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Mississippi

Overview

Walnut Grove Correctional Facility, in Leake County, is a state-run men’s prison that reopened under direct MDOC operation in 2021 after having been closed since 2016. MDOC describes its mission around re-entry programs, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, and vocational training, but reporting establishes that it also holds higher-custody men. So a person may be at Walnut Grove for two different reasons — a structured treatment and re-entry program, or higher-security housing — and that determines how visiting works. It holds about 425 men against a capacity of about 1,244 (September 2025) — well below capacity. Population figures change; MDOC’s monthly fact sheet is the current source.

What Makes Walnut Grove Different

It reopened under state operation in 2021, after closing in 2016, when MDOC needed more bed space.
It combines a re-entry and substance-abuse treatment program with higher-custody housing, so the reason a person is held here varies.
Because of that mix, visiting rules depend on the person’s custody level and unit — program visits differ from higher-custody visits.
It has a notable earlier history as a youth facility (see below).

A Note on History

The prison opened in 2001 as the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, a privately operated facility that held young male offenders sentenced as adults. After a U.S. Department of Justice investigation (2010) and a class-action lawsuit, a federal consent decree in 2012 required moving youth out of the facility and restricted the use of solitary confinement. It continued as a privately run adult prison until the state closed it in 2016, then reopened it under direct state operation in 2021. This history is documented in the sources cited above.

Visiting

The statewide MDOC rules above — the inmate-initiated application, the approved list, the dress code, ID, and screening — apply at Walnut Grove. MDOC posts no schedule, and visiting frequency and format run by custody level: program-population visits differ from higher-custody visits, which may be non-contact. Confirm the person’s visiting day and rules by phone. There are no video visits at MDOC state prisons. The full approval process is in Visiting in Mississippi.

Getting There and Parking

Walnut Grove is in southern Leake County, in central Mississippi.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. There is no public transit to the facility.

Nearby Services

Carthage, about 10 miles north, has the nearest gas, food, and lodging, with more in the Jackson metro to the southwest. The nearest emergency room is Baptist Memorial Hospital–Leake in Carthage, a small rural hospital; higher-level emergency care is in the Jackson area, about 50 miles southwest.

Mail

Mail to a person at Walnut Grove goes to P.O. Box 389, Walnut Grove, MS 39189 and follows MDOC’s process: addressed with the person’s committed name and MDOC number. Mississippi photocopies incoming personal mail rather than delivering the originals; full addressing details are in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Mississippi state prison:

Visiting in Mississippi — the application, dress code, and custody-level visiting
Mail & Packages — the photocopy system and addressing mail
Phone & Video Calls — the ViaPath phone and tablet system
Sending Money — depositing to a spending account
Medical & Mental Health — healthcare and raising a concern
Transfers — intake, classification, and finding someone

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.