Virginia State Departament Of Corrections Inmate Search

Virginia State has 71 jails in 133 counties, and 26 state prisons. As of 2020, the population in correctional facilities held in the custody of state prisons or local jails was as follows: 

• Jail population- 28, 970 
• Prisons population- 31838 
• Probation- 64,280 
• Parole- 2,037 

Only one privately operated Virginia prison held a population of 1,418 prisoners as of December 31, 2021. The state operates these facilities with an annual budget of $1,342,385,867 and 11,413 staff. 

Search for an Offender's Location in Virginia State

Prisons have a publicly available lookup tool maintained by the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC), where one may search for an offender's location or release date. All you need is the offender's ID, a unique seven-digit number assigned to every inmate in Virginia correctional facilities, or their name. 

Contacting an Inmate 

The Department of Corrections, through the central mail distribution center, allows attorneys, investigators, family, and friends to send and receive legal correspondence, publications, and books to/from inmates in Virginia at their own cost. Inmates who cannot afford the mailing costs are allowed one weekly stamp.  

Inmates incarcerated in Virginia prisons are also allowed photos in their mail which are limited to three photos. Family and friends can visit the JPAY website and send inmates secure messages and photos. 

The Central mail distribution center receives all incoming correspondence and screens and inspects the content to ensure no contraband is present. Once staff verifies the mail is safe, it is forwarded to inmates or community corrections Alternative Program probationer/parolee. 

When sending mail, you must provide the return address, inmate’s name, ID Number, Facility name, and address, including state and zip code.  

Virginia prisons provide inmates with calls through the GTL Offender Connect. Upon reception at the DOC, offenders are automatically enrolled in the offender telephone system and given an offender's PIN, which is used to access the system. They then create a call list of all people they expect calls from. The call list has to be approved and will be the only number an offender is allowed to call. This is periodically updated depending on the facility to allow an inmate to introduce new people to the call list. All phone calls are recorded for security reasons except where an exception has been prior approved by the DOC. 

Sending Money 

Family and friends may send money to an inmate incarcerated in Virginia in several ways through the JPay, the Department of Corrections services provider. To send them money, you will need to know the Offender's ID number. Fines, costs, or restitution an inmate owes may be deducted from monies deposited.  

An individual cannot send money to more than one inmate unless approved. 

Through JPay, you can send money by phone, walk-in, online, or Mail. 

You need to know:

• The inmate's Name 
• The Inmates Identification Number 
• The current location of the inmate 

At a fee in the range of $ 3.95- $10.95 depending on the amount you send, directly deposit funds to your Virginia inmate's account by calling JPay at 1-800-574-5729. 

You may also walk into a MoneyGram agent location and make a cash deposit. 

If in need of making faster payments using your credit or debit card, make an online payment to an inmate through JPay. Alternatively, download the JPay mobile app on your device and send money directly from your mobile device. 

For mail deposits, you can send money orders through the US Post office, which are made payable to JPay. 

Visiting Inmates at Virginia DOC 

Unlike sending letters or photos, visitation offers a unique contact with an offender and a vital social interaction that plays an important role in an offender's re-entry into society. DOC staff aim to make your visit to any Virginia state facility secure and helpful.  

Inmates in Virginia are also allowed video visitation by family members in partnership with an independent organization, Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOA). AFOA provides the service at $15 for a thirty minutes video visitation and $30 for a sixty minutes video visitation. 

A family member or friend who wishes to visit an inmate in Virginia must start by filling out an online visitor application. Visitor application takes 30 days to be approved and up to 90 days for out-of-state visitors, and expires 36 months after approval.  

Once the visitor application is approved, a visitor must bring photo identification, whose information must match the visitor's application information. You may visit an inmate during approved hours. Good to note that when under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you not be allowed to visit. Also, cell phones, cameras, music devices, and tobacco-related products are not allowed in any correctional facility.