The Department of Corrections maintains strict guidelines on the dress code for all faculty, staff, and visitors affiliated with WashU. These restrictions may be different than the dress codes that you maintain on campus or other professional areas in your life. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your patience in this matter.
If you have not done so already, please sign the following Staff Appearance Document and send it to prisonedproject@wustl.edu.
Please abide by the following dress code:
- Clothing worn during work hours should be clean, neat and appropriate to the duties and responsibilities of the staff member. No obvious rips or tears. You should avoid clothing that attracts attention, even if it is not revealing. Dress conservatively.
- No clothing that is tight or revealing, including no plunging neck-lines, exposed cleavage, or see-through material.
- Undergarments should not be visible. No visible bra straps.
- Blouses, shirts, tops, must cover the chest, stomach and back. Armholes cannot gape under the arm.
- Shirts must have sleeves. Tank tops or sleeveless shirts are not allowed.
- No shorts. Capris may be worn but should be mid-calf in length.
- No dresses or skirts shorter than two inches above the knee. If there is a slit or fasteners (buttons, snaps, etc.) they may only be open to 2 inches above the knee.
- No wrap-around skirts or dresses.
- If you wear tights, they must be plain with no pattern.
- Leggings/jeggings may be worn only if the outer garment extends to at least mid-thigh. If not, leggings/jeggings are not permitted.
- No bib overalls.
- No camouflage articles of clothing.
- No clothing, hats, jackets, etc. that display discriminatory language, obscenities, slurs or that advocate the use of drugs, alcohol, violence, gang affiliation or prison life logos, slogans, cartoons, inappropriate language or political affiliations.
- No yoga pants or fleece style sweatpants. Unless involved in physical training or part of the recreation staff, no sweat/running suits should be allowed.
- No flip flops. However, staff may wear open toe shoes. Any open-toe sandal resembling a flip-flop style (strap passing between toes) must also have a strap that fastens around the back of the heel.
- Avoid jewelry, especially dangly pieces. Any jewelry or piercings in parts of the body other than the earlobe are not permitted. Ankle bracelets are not permitted.
- No hats (except winter hats).
- Staff should follow good personal hygiene practices, including the use of deodorant.
- Perfume, cologne and aftershave should be worn in moderation.
- Cosmetics should be worn in moderation.
Be attentive to metal in your clothing as you may be asked to remove those items or scanned with a hand-held metal detector.