Worcester County Jail: Inmate Search, Visiting, Mail, and Money

Worcester County is the only one of the fourteen Massachusetts counties that lets you look someone up online. That single fact makes finding a person here far easier than anywhere else in the state, and the lookup does something most families never discover.

Everything below was verified against the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office’s own published rules in August 2026. Where the office does not publish something, this guide says so rather than guessing.

Use the lookup, then click Details

The search at inmatesearch.wcsoma.org is official and live. You can search by first name, last name, either alone, or by inmate number. Results show the inmate number, name, date of birth, and the housing block and cell.

Then do the thing almost nobody knows to do. Click Details, and it will show you that specific person’s visiting schedule, printed as plain days and times. A real result looks like this:

L (341-370): Wednesday 3:30-4:30 p.m., Friday 1:30-2:30 p.m., Sunday 6:50-7:50 p.m.

Visiting at this facility runs on a housing-unit schedule, so the hours that apply to your person depend on which unit they are in. The Details page answers that question directly and removes all the guesswork. Check it before you drive to West Boylston.

One caution. The lookup carries no disclaimer about how current its data is, and the office does not publish whether someone booked in the last few hours appears right away. If you are looking for someone arrested last night and the search comes up empty, call 508-854-1800 rather than concluding they are not there.

The facility holds both people awaiting trial and people serving sentences of up to two and a half years.

Getting on the visiting list

This trips up more families than anything else, because you cannot add yourself.

When someone arrives at the jail they may name up to seven visitors. Only those seven may visit. To get on the list, you have to write the incarcerated person a letter asking to be added. Staff will not add you over the phone and you cannot do it at the door.

You can be on only one person’s list at a time. Switching requires advance approval from the Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Special Services.

Several categories are barred outright: anyone with an open criminal case anywhere, anyone on probation or parole, anyone under indictment, a co-defendant, anyone who has visited three or more other incarcerated people in the past five years, and anyone who has been incarcerated at any institution within the past ten years.

Visiting: no appointment, but be early

Unlike Suffolk County, Worcester does not use appointments. You arrive during your person’s assigned slot, sign in, and fill out a Request to Visit form when you get there.

Arrive fifteen to thirty minutes early, and not only for processing. If the visiting room is crowded, visits get cut to thirty minutes, and the people who arrived first are the first asked to leave.

Up to three visits per week. Each slot runs an hour and a visit may last the full period. Two adults maximum at one time. There is no hard limit on children, but only as many as one adult can genuinely supervise.

Two practical rules people learn the hard way: you cannot enter outside the scheduled hours, including during shift change or a count, and once you leave after a visit you cannot come back the same day. Park only in the facility lot, and expect that your vehicle may be searched on request.

Visitors for the Main Jail, Mini-5, and Deignan units report to the Control 1 booth in the Main Jail. Visitors for the MODS units report to a separate building at the end of the parking lot next to the Administration Building. Annex visits happen in house, Monday 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Wednesday 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

The office posts a full unit-by-unit schedule, most recently revised in July 2026. Rather than reproduce a table that changes, use the Details page on the lookup for your person and confirm by phone if anything looks off.

Video visits, and an open question about cost

Worcester offers video visits, scheduled through Securus. Only people already on the approved list can schedule one, and only the approved visitor may appear on camera. Anyone else on screen ends the visit and brings a disciplinary report and a suspension. Sessions are recorded and monitored, recording or photographing the screen is prohibited, and the dress code applies to video visits too.

What the office does not publish is whether video visits cost anything, or whether they can be done from home rather than from the lobby.

That matters legally. G.L. c. 127, § 87A requires sheriffs to provide voice communication free of charge to both parties, and provides that other communication services may supplement but not replace voice service and are also to be provided free of charge. Worcester publishes nothing applying that to video. If you are asked to pay, it is worth asking the facility about § 87A rather than assuming the charge is proper.

ID, children, and the dress code

Every visitor needs a current photo ID. Failure to produce a valid one can mean the visit is denied.

Children may visit accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and you must bring the child’s original birth certificate with a proper seal showing the parent’s name, plus documentation of the relationship. Guardians need court documents proving custody. The office’s web page describes the accompaniment rule as applying under 17 while its printed handout says 16 and under, so bring documents for anyone under 17. No minor may be left unattended anywhere on the property, including in a vehicle or the lobby.

Dress code, which applies to video as well: shoulders and midriffs covered, no tank tops, no hemline above the knee, no shorts above the half-thigh, nothing sheer, no baggy pants or excessive pockets, no fatigues, sweats, or uniforms, nothing obscene or gang-affiliated, no outer garments, coats, or hooded clothing at all, and no hats, kerchiefs, or scarves unless religious or medical, which will be searched.

Jewelry is limited to wedding bands and medical alert bracelets.

There are coin-operated lockers in the visitors’ lobby. The only things you may carry past them are a medical alert charm, a wedding or engagement ring, and your locker key. Money, watches, phones, gum, and candy are all contraband. An adult with an infant may bring one clear plastic bottle, one diaper, and one pacifier. Life-saving medication such as an inhaler must be presented at the control area and approved first.

Every visitor passes a metal detector.

Mail: your letter gets photocopied

Address it exactly like this, with the inmate number, which the office calls the MSA number and which the lookup gives you:

Individual’s Name, Inmate MSA#
Worcester County Jail and House of Corrections
5 Paul X. Tivnan Dr.
West Boylston, MA 01583

Here is the part that surprises people. Worcester photocopies all incoming non-privileged mail in house and delivers the copy. The original is held thirty days and then destroyed. Your person never receives the actual letter, card, or photograph you sent.

Do not mail irreplaceable photos or keepsakes. They will not come back.

Notably, the office does this itself rather than routing mail to an outside scanning vendor, which some jails now use.

The formatting rules are strict, and mail that breaks them is returned or diverted even if a money order is inside: black or blue ink or plain pencil only, white lined paper, pure white envelopes, no stickers or labels or tape of any kind, the address written or typed directly on the envelope, drawings in blue or black only, nothing multi-layered or laminated, and nothing scented.

The office does not publish a procedure for legal mail. The word “non-privileged” in its photocopying rule implies privileged mail is handled differently, but attorneys should call 508-854-1800 to confirm how to mark and send it.

Phone, and what the law says about cost

Calling runs through Securus. To receive calls or messages you need a Securus account, at 800-844-6591 or securustech.net, and you must be on your person’s approved phone list before they can call you.

On cost: G.L. c. 127, § 87A requires the Department of Correction and sheriffs to provide voice communication, including phone calls, free of charge to both the person calling and the person receiving the call, at county jails and houses of correction. The statute bars facilities from offering less access than they did on July 1, 2023.

The Sheriff’s Office page does not mention free calls and simply directs families to open an account. The statute is the authority. If you are asked to fund an account for ordinary voice calls, raise § 87A with the facility.

Money: four ways, unlike most counties

Worcester is considerably more flexible here than Suffolk, which takes money orders only.

• Kiosk in person at the MODS lobby, cash, debit, or credit, any day 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• By mail, U.S. Postal Service money orders only, payable to the incarcerated person. No cash.
• By phone at 866-345-1884, credit or debit
• Online at accesscorrections.com

Funds buy canteen items. One useful detail: if someone awaiting trial has the full bail amount in their account, it can be used to post bail, though the office will not do partial distributions.

No deposit limits or transaction fees are published for any of these methods. Vendors commonly charge fees, so ask before you deposit.

Property, court clothes, and bail

Property pickup is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., no weekends or holidays. Call the Property Room at ext. 2426 first to confirm the property is there and the paperwork is done. A release form is required if the person cannot collect it themselves. Remaining-funds checks are picked up at the MODS Administrative Building, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Court clothes go to the appropriate control booth, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekdays. You need a Clothing Exchange Authorization completed in advance, at least 24 hours notice, and you must already be on the visitor list. Court attire only, meaning no sneakers, work boots, sweats, tank tops, shorts, or t-shirts. Questions go to Receiving at ext. 2222.

Bail is posted at the Main Jail lobby, cash only. The office’s published time reads “5:00 PM Daily,” which is ambiguous about whether that is a start time or the only time. Call before traveling with cash.

A scam aimed at these families

The Sheriff’s Office has posted a direct warning: it does not call people to demand payment for missed jury duty, outstanding fines, or other legal matters. If you get a call like that, it is a scam. Do not give personal information or payment.

Families of incarcerated people are targeted for this specifically, because a call about a court problem is plausible when someone you love is already in the system.

Common questions

Is there a Worcester County inmate search?

Yes, at inmatesearch.wcsoma.org. It is the only county-run online inmate lookup in Massachusetts. Search by name or inmate number.

How do I find out visiting hours for my person?

Look them up and click Details. The page shows that individual’s visiting days and times, which depend on their housing unit.

How do I get on the visiting list?

Write to the incarcerated person and ask to be added. They may designate up to seven visitors, and staff will not add you by phone.

Do I need an appointment to visit?

No. Arrive during your person’s scheduled slot, fifteen to thirty minutes early, since crowded sessions get shortened and the earliest arrivals are asked to leave first.

Will my letter reach them?

A photocopy will. Worcester photocopies incoming non-privileged mail and delivers the copy, destroying the original after thirty days. Do not send irreplaceable items.

How do I send money?

Four ways: the MODS lobby kiosk daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., a USPS money order by mail, by phone at 866-345-1884, or online at accesscorrections.com.

Are phone calls free?

State law requires sheriffs to provide voice calls free to both parties. The Sheriff’s Office page does not address it and directs families to a Securus account.

Verified against the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office published rules in August 2026. Rules change; call 508-854-1800 to confirm before traveling. General information, not legal advice.