How to Send Money to an Inmate in a Prison or Jail
Table of Contents
What is Virginia Inmate Search?
A Virginia inmate search enables people to look for inmates in correctional facilities within the state. There are three types of correctional facilities in Virginia: federal, state, and local. Local jails are managed by county and city jail administrators, while the Federal Bureau of Prisons manages federal inmates. The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) administers correctional facilities at the state level. It maintains a database of all persons imprisoned in the state's prisons.
Law enforcement agencies, courts, and correctional facility authorities generate the state's inmate records. Virginia inmate search is useful for investigating crimes, verifying an individual's identity, locating a missing person, verifying an inmate's imprisonment status, and academic/journalism research.
Are Inmate Search Records Open to the Public in Virginia?
Yes. In Virginia, the public has access to inmate records. The Virginia Department of Corrections and other local jail managers are permitted by the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to make inmate records available to the public upon request. However, certain inmate records are exempted from public view by law for security reasons or to protect sensitive information. These records include the following:
- Expunged or sealed inmate records
- Victims records
- Juvenile records
- Inmate records whose release can affect personal or public safety
- Medical and mental health records
- Protective orders
How To Perform Virginia Inmate Lookup
Interested persons may search for Virginia inmate records on the Inmate Locator portal provided by the Virginia Department of Corrections. They can search with their name or Inmate ID number. The search can be further filtered by supplying the inmate's race, age, middle name, alias, release date, and location. The search will return the inmate's full name, alias, sex, age, race, ID number, holding location, and release date.
How To Search for an Inmate in Virginia
To search for a Virginia inmate, an individual can contact the Virginia Department of Corrections or county/city jail administrators in charge of the holding correctional facility. They may also use the Inmate Locator portal to search for inmates under state custody.
Generally, they can search by name or inmate ID number. They can filter the search by supplying additional information about the inmate, such as alias, sex, age, race, middle name, holding location, and release date. The search result will contain the inmate's personal information, holding facility, inmate ID number, and release date. They can also inquire about an inmate by contacting the VADOC at:
Virginia Department of Corrections
P.O. Box 26963
Richmond, VA 23261
Phone: (804) 674-3000
To search for an inmate in local jails, one must contact the law enforcement agency, sheriff's office, or city departments of correction that maintain inmate information for the county or city. However, certain counties and cities offer online resources for searching for inmates.
How To Conduct a Free Inmate Search in Virginia
Public Virginia inmate records are accessible from reliable third-party providers at no cost. These services offer simpler platforms and are not limited by geography or jurisdiction. They are especially useful for starting a search for an inmate's records. Furthermore, they frequently offer paid services for more thorough searches. Requestors are typically required to supply the inmate's name and last known location as search parameters. Virginia inmates in local, state, or federal prisons and jails can be found using search engines such as RecordsFinders.
How To Find a Federal Inmate in Virginia
The six Federal Bureau of Prisons' correctional facilities in Virginia are:
- United States Penitentiary Lee
- Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg medium
- Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg Low
- Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg Camp
- United States Penitentiary Lee Camp
The public can use the Bureau of Prisons' Inmate Locator to find federal prisoners in Virginia. They can search using either the inmate's name or register number.
What Can You Find with the State of Virginia Inmate Search?
The following information may be obtained from a Virginia inmate search:
- Personal details of the inmate, such as first name, last name, age, alias, and race
- Holding facility
- Inmate ID
- Release date
Jail and Inmate Search in Virginia
The Virginia Department of Corrections operates 25 prisons, while counties and cities run 58 jails across the state. There are 30,000 inmates in prisons and 24,600 inmates in local jails. Of the 54,600 inmates in the state correctional system, 53.4% are black, 45.8% are white, and others make up 0.8%. There are 1,800 persons on parole and 60,000 persons on probation in the state. The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice has 912 minors in detention centers across the state.
Virginia has a prison incarceration rate of 312 per 100,000 residents, but if we are to consider all forms of involuntary incarceration, including prisons, jails, juvenile detention centers, and involuntary commitments, it has an incarceration rate of 679 per 100,000 population. This figure is higher than the national incarceration rate of 614 per 100,000 population.
Criminal Justice Quick Facts
Virginia Imprisonment Rate (per 100,000 population)
679
Probation Population
60,000
Parole Population
1,800
Racial Disparity in Incarceration Rate
Black: White Ratio: 4.4:1
Hispanic: White Ratio: 0.4:1
Juvenile Custody Rate (per 100,000 juveniles)
64
Disenfranchised Population
264,292 (4.18%)
Disenfranchised African Americans
120,606 (9.84%)
Corrections Expenditures (state/local)
$1.7 B / $1.54 B
Virginia Parole Population
The Virginia parole population at the beginning of 2022 was 1,920, and by the end of the year, it was 1,770.
Paroles per 100,000 Population (2022)
Nationwide
267
Virginia
26
Parole Total Population in Virginia (2022)
Nationwide
698,820
Virginia
1,770
Parole Entries and Exits (2022)
Entries
190
Exits
330
Change in 2022, in Percentage and Number
Percent
7.6%
Number
150
Number on Parole per 100,000 U.S. Adult Residents
Decreased by
267
Virginia Prisons
The state has 25 state-run prisons and 58 local jails. There are 24,600 inmates in the local jails, while the prisons house 30,000 inmates. The Virginia Department of Corrections operates a budget of $1.7 billion and has a staff strength of 9,987 employees. It costs the state $60,894 annually to house and care for each inmate.
Virginia's community corrections system has 60,000 persons on probation and 1,800 on parole. It has a probation rate of 920 per 100,000 population, which is less than the national rate of 1,140 per 100,000 population. Based on a population of 100,000 residents, VA has an incarceration rate of 312, a property crime rate of 1,695, and a violent crime rate of 234.
| Prison Name | Prison Type |
|---|---|
| Augusta Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Baskerville Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Bland Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Brunswick Work Center/Brunswick Reception and Classification Center for women | State Prison |
| Buckingham Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Caroline Correctional Unit | State Prison |
| Central Virginia Correctional Unit #13 | State Prison |
| Chesapeake County Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Coffeewood Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Cold Springs Correctional Unit | State Prison |
| Deep Meadow Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Deerfield Correctional Center | State Prison |
| Deerfield Men's Work Center | State Prison |
| Deerfield Men's Work Center 2 | State Prison |
| Dillwyn Correctional Center | State Prison |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is an inmate not showing up in Search?
A possible reason an inmate did not show up in a search could be that the search parameter was incorrect. A misspelled name or an incorrect Inmate ID will not produce the desired result. The requestor should verify that the information entered is correct. An inmate may not have appeared in a search if the search parameter was incorrect. The intended outcome won't be achieved with a misspelled name or an inaccurate inmate ID number. The requestor should verify that the supplied information is correct.
Additionally, most official inmate search services only check the correctional institution administrator's database. Therefore, a state or local inmate search portal will not provide the correct result if you search for a federal inmate. Alternatively, they can use third-party search services that are typically not limited by jurisdictions.
How Can I Check if Someone is in Jail in Virginia?
You can check if someone is in jail in Virginia by doing any of the following:
- Contact the county or city jail administrator to find out if the person is currently incarcerated in their jail
- Contact local law enforcement agencies to inquire if the person is in custody
- Search for the person's name on the Virginia Department of Corrections's Inmate Locator portal
- Contact the Virginia Department of Corrections to inquire about the person
- Search the BOP's Inmate Locator for the individual
How Can I Conduct a Virginia Prison Inmate Search?
You may conduct a Virginia prison inmate lookup by using the VADOC's Inmate Locator portal. The search may be done by providing the inmate's name or Inmate ID number. The search can be further narrowed by supplying the inmate's race, age, middle name, alias, release date, and location. The portal will return information such as full name, race, age, alias, holding location, inmate ID number, and release date. Additionally, you can look for prisoners in Virginia using third-party resources like RecordsFinders.
