West Virginia State Departament Of Corrections Inmate Search

The West Virginia division of correction and rehabilitation is part of the department of West Virginia home line security that is responsible for the operation of all jails, prisons, and juvenile detention facilities across the State of West Virginia. 

There are 24 facilities in West Virginia, with 13 state prisons and 11 jail facilities. The state employs 4,100 employees with an annual operating budget of $210,815,583. 

The prison population is as follows: 

• Prison population-6,800 
• Jail population-51,10 
• Parole population-4718 
• Probation population-6454 

West Virginia State Offender Locator

The West Virginia Department of Corrections allows for online searches on inmates through a state offender locator. You can carry out four online searches, including: 

• Daily incarceration 
• Offender searches for both jails and prisons 
• Escapees 
• Absconders 

You will need the inmates' names, either full or partial, to start a search. 

All you have to do is visit the database for a quick search. You will get initial results where you can check to see if the inmate is available. If not, you can add some more information and try to narrow the search. 

Apart from online searches, you can also make phone calls to facilities where you think the inmate may be held. Although this option may be slow, especially when you don't know where the inmate may be, it will yield some results. 

Contacting Inmates  

Friends and family of inmates in West Virginia prisons and jails can communicate with friends and loved ones via phone or mail. Offenders will send and receive mail, although inmates must be able to pay postage. In the case of indigent inmates, they will be allowed up to 10 stamps a month at no cost. 

Materials to write the letter can be bought at the inmates' commissary. 

It should be noted that all mail will be opened and inspected for contraband and confiscated if found in breach of security. 

Inmates can also make phone calls to friends and loved ones subject to certain conditions. For one, all phone calls will be recorded and monitored. Also, inmates will have a specific time on the call to allow full access to all inmates. 

Inmates can make collect calls, pre-paid calls, and debit-paid calls. Pre-paid calls are made if the inmate has an account funded by friends and family. These services are outsourced to ICSolutions. 

Sending Money  

Inmates are allowed to have funded accounts all across West Virginia State. This helps the inmate make purchases from the inmate commissary. 

West Virginia State enlists the services of JPay to help with online payments, which can be made through debit and credit.  

Friends and loved ones also have the option of funding an inmate account through the phone, where you can call JPay at 1-800-574-5729. JPay also has a mobile app that makes it easier for you to send money to an inmate. You can also earn cash deposits at either money gram or western union. 

Visiting an Inmate  

Maintaining a relationship with a loved one in jail can be pretty difficult, and the best way to keep it in check is by making regular visits. It also helps the inmate keep ties with friends and family, which helps both in temperament and rehabilitation. 

It can be quite overwhelming for anyone who has never visited a prison before, but here is some important information that can help lighten up the whole process. 

• If you tend to visit any facility in West Virginia, the first thing to do is fill out the West Virginia visitor application. The information must be truthful and complete, failure to which your visit will be rejected. 
• The inmate is responsible for mailing the inmate visitation form to friends and loved ones. The application comes with a return address where you mail it after filling out the form. 
• Anyone with a pending criminal charge or warrant cannot visit the facility. 
• The facility will take 3-5 weeks to process the visitors' application, which, if accepted, the inmate will inform their friends and loved ones to come over for a visit. 
• All visitors must come with a valid form of identification. Minors must also be accompanied by their parents or guardians; with an original copy of their birth certificates. 
• All visitors will be searched before being admitted into the facility. 
• Drugs are prohibited, and anyone under the influence will be restricted from accessing the facility. 
• Phones, pagers, electronics, cameras, recording devices, music devices, and other gadgets are not allowed inside the facility. 

The prohibited dress code includes: 

• Uniforms including military camouflage, doctor scrubs, and military uniforms  
• Clothing similar in look to inmate uniforms and staff  
• Clothes exposing too much skin