How to Fill Out and Submit the DPSCS Video Visitation Acknowledgement Form

To have a video visit with someone in a Maryland prison, you must first complete the DPSCS Video Visitation Acknowledgement Form, a one-page PDF available on the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services visitation page.¹ The form collects your contact details, the incarcerated individual’s identifying information, and your signed agreement to follow visitation rules. There is no charge to submit it, and virtual visits through DPSCS are free.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather everything in one place so you can fill the form out in a single pass. For yourself, you need your full legal name, residential address, a working email address, and a phone number.² You also need a current photo ID: a driver’s license, age-of-majority card, or military ID. The name and address on your ID must match what appears on the incarcerated person’s approved visitor list exactly. Mismatches are one of the most common reasons submissions get rejected.

For the person you want to visit, you need their full name, their DOC and SID numbers, and their current housing unit. If you don’t know the DOC or SID number, use the DPSCS Incarcerated Individual Locator to search by name; it returns the person’s housing location and identifying numbers.³

You must already be on the incarcerated individual’s approved visitor list before your form will be processed. Adults 19 and older have to appear on that list. Visitors 18 and younger must be immediate family of the incarcerated person or of the adult visitor accompanying them on the call.¹

How to Fill Out the Form

At the top, enter the incarcerated individual’s name, DOC and SID numbers, and housing unit. In the next block, fill in your own name, residential address, your relationship to the incarcerated person, your email address, and your telephone number.²

Print the email address clearly. Microsoft Teams meeting invitations are sent to whatever address you write on the form, and a single typo means the invite never reaches you.

If children will join any of your visits, use the children’s section on the same form. For each child, list their name, their relationship to the incarcerated person (son, niece, grandchild, and so on), and their age. Children who are 16 or 17 must sign the form themselves alongside the adult visitor’s signature.² Every minor on the call still has to be immediate family of the incarcerated person or of the adult visitor.¹

At the bottom, sign and date the form. Your signature confirms that you have read the visitation rules and agree to follow them, and the acknowledgment language specifically references COMAR 12.02.16.08, under which your privileges can be suspended for violations.²

Before you send anything in, compare every field on the form against your photo ID. The name and address have to match character for character.

Where to Submit the Form

The DPSCS visitation page links to the PDF and states that visitors must complete it before participating in any virtual visitation, but it does not publish a single department-wide submission address.¹ Individual facilities handle intake for their own visitor lists. Contact the specific institution where the person is housed and ask whether that facility accepts the form by email, by mail, or in person. Phone numbers and addresses for each location are on the facility pages of the DPSCS website.

What Happens After You Submit

Scheduling starts on the incarcerated person’s side. Once your acknowledgement form is on file, they submit a virtual visitation request to correctional staff, who assign a time slot. The incarcerated individual then lets you know the date and time, and a Microsoft Teams meeting invitation goes to the email address you listed on the form.⁴

All DPSCS virtual social visits run through Microsoft Teams.¹ You can join from a smartphone, tablet, or computer, as long as the device has a working camera and microphone.⁵ If you never receive the email, check your spam folder and call the facility to confirm your address was entered correctly.

Rules You’re Agreeing to When You Sign

The DPSCS visitor dress code applies to video visits, not only in-person ones. The department’s visitation reference guide lists these items as not permitted during any visit:⁶

Tube tops, tank tops, halter tops, see-through clothing, and tops or dresses with revealing necklines or excessive splits
Miniskirts, mini-dresses, shorts, skorts, and culottes at or above the kneecap
Leotards, spandex, and leggings
Anything that shows the midriff, side, or back
All jewelry and piercings, including tongue, ear, facial, and body piercings. The only exceptions are a wedding ring or band and a medical alert tag.

Position your camera so your background shows a clean, private space, and keep any children on the call under control for the duration of the visit.⁷

Staff can terminate a session on the spot if a visitor is disruptive, breaks facility rules, or if a security concern arises, and lost time is not refunded.⁷ More serious violations can lead to suspension of your visiting privileges under COMAR 12.02.16.08, the regulation referenced on the form you signed.² Your conduct on the call can also result in disciplinary action against the person you are visiting, including loss of their visiting privileges.

1
Maryland Department Of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Incarcerated Individual Visitation Services
2
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. DPSCS Video Visitation Acknowledgement Form
3
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Incarcerated Individual Locator
4
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Virtual Visitation Guide
5
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Virtual Visitation
6
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Visitation, Communication, and Services Reference Guide
7
Legal Information Institute. Maryland Code of Regulations 12.02.16.07 – Visitor Rules and Visit Guidelines