Red Onion State Prison

The Virginia Department of Corrections maintains a searchable public database of all of the inmates they have in custody.

In addition, the offender search contains information about prisoners, parolees, and probationers who are currently under supervision, and who have been discharged. It also contains those inmates who have absconded, or escaped.

The actual prison that an inmate is assigned to depends on factors such as security classification, remaining time of their sentence, gang affiliation, and location of their residence.

The Virginia Department of Corrections began in 1607, when the first state 'prison', a cabin on a ship named the Susan Constant, was birthed in Chesapeake Bay.

Today the state of Virginia's Prison System maintains 26 state correctional institutions.

With a staff of 11,000 correctional workers, as of the end of 2023 they oversee approximately 24,000 inmates, with another 64,000 on probation and parole.

The following will explain the instructions, tricks and hacks you can use to find any inmate in custody with the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Virginia Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions

The Virginia Department of Corrections provides a limited amount of information you may want to know about any inmate in their system. To look up an inmate, at a minimum you need the full last name, and the first letter of the first name.  

The results, if you used the full last name (in this case we used the common name of 'Smith') and the first name initial, will list their Name, Inmate ID #, Age, Race, Sex, Location and Release Date, along with a button to click to bring you to a page to send them money for commissary. 

Red Onion State Prison uses the services of JPAY for you to send money to an inmate's trust fund / commissary account. 



You can send money to an inmate/offender's commissary/spendable account through the Send Money page.
There are several ways to send money to an inmate/offender.

1. Online payments
2. Over the phone by calling 800-574-5729
3. MoneyGram
4. If you wish to send cash you can use MoneyGram. MoneyGram has many convenient locations nationwide.
   The following establishments will always have MoneyGram services:
   Walmart
   7-11
   CVS Pharmacy

You will need:
Inmate's Correctional ID number and last name
The facility name or receive code.
You can visit the MoneyGram website to find locations near you.

        5. Money Order - Inmate's Name must be on the Money Order

When your family member or friend is incarcerated, you may want to send money to fund their commissary account. You can send money to your loved one in several ways through JPay, our corrections services provider. You will need to know their 7-digit Inmate ID Number.

Before sending money, please note the following information:

If an inmate owes fines, costs, or restitution, a percentage of any money deposited may go toward paying their debts.
Family, friends, or other individuals may not send money to more than one inmate without prior approval.
Disclaimer: It is important to review Operating Procedure 802.2 prior to sending money. Any funds sent in violation of this procedure may cause delays in inmates receiving the funds and/or delays in refunds being issued to the sender.

How to Send Money
Online
The fastest way to send money to an inmate is by using a credit or debit card to complete an online payment through JPay.

Phone
Call JPay at 1 (800) 574-5729 to make payments over the phone at any time.

Mobile App
To send money directly from a mobile device, download the JPay mobile app (Android, Apple iOS).

Cash
Make a cash deposit at any MoneyGram agent location (including Walmart and CVS Pharmacy). View the list of nearby MoneyGram locations.

Money Orders
Please do not mail money, including checks, cash, and other items of monetary value to our facilities or headquarters. They will be rejected.
Send all money orders with a deposit slip to:

JPay
P.O. Box 278170
Miramar, FL 33027

Once JPay receives the money order, funds will be available to the inmate within three business days.

        6. Lobby Kiosk
            You can use a debit or credit card in the lobby kiosk to send funds to an inmate/offender.

Red Onion State Prison Inmate Visitation Information & Schedules

Step 1 - The Application

Your inmate must put you on his Vistor's List

Fill out and submit an online application if you are a new visitor or doing your three year renewal.

All children must have their own application filled out as well.  Attach it to the adult application of the person taking them.

If you need help with doing the application, use the assistance page.

Step 2 - Schedule the Visit

Once you receive approval to visit an inmate in a Virginia DOC facility, you must schedule your visit online using the Visitation Scheduler.

If you are a new user, you must first register using the “Register Today” option.

Step 3 - The Visit

Visits are subject to change however all institutions typically allow visiting on Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays.

Arrive one hour before the visit.

Bring a government issued photo ID.

Dress professionally, non-seductive, nothing revealing or gangster-like.

No watches or technology.

If you are bringing a child to the visit, this will help you prepare.

Inmate Remote Video Visitation - First... make sure you have applied and been accepted, and are on your inmate's visitor's list.

Red Onion State Prison offers Video Visitation for Inmates using the Services of GTL, aka ViaPath Techologies

In order to schedule and then visit an inmate using GTL you need to first register with GTL.

Next Steps:

• Register yourself and all visitors.
• Select Red Onion State Prison
• Select your inmate.
• Schedule your preferred time for the visit.

For at-home video visits: Sign in to the visitation scheduling site 15 minutes prior to your scheduled visit. Test your connection, and follow the steps to start your visit.
For on-site video visits: Arrive at the facility at least 15 minutes prior to check-in. A valid photo ID is required. 

All your questions can be answered after you register, at the Frequently Asked Questions page, or call 855-208-7349 during the following hours:
6AM – 4PM MST Monday – Friday, or 
7AM – 4PM MST Saturday – Sunday

Costs for Visits are subject to change but are:

Video Visits can be scheduled in 20 minute or 50 minute time blocks at a cost of $0.20 per minute.

$4 — 20 minute visit
$10 — 50 minute visit

Payment can be made with Visa, Mastercard debit, credit or gift cards.

Make sure you read and understand all of the video visitation rules.

Inmate Remote Video Visitation - First... make sure you have applied and been accepted, and are on your inmate's visitor's list.

Red Onion State Prison offers Video Visitation for Inmates using the Services of GTL, aka ViaPath Techologies

In order to schedule and then visit an inmate using GTL you need to first register with GTL.

Next Steps:

• Register yourself and all visitors.
• Select Red Onion State Prison
• Select your inmate.
• Schedule your preferred time for the visit.

For at-home video visits: Sign in to the visitation scheduling site 15 minutes prior to your scheduled visit. Test your connection, and follow the steps to start your visit.
For on-site video visits: Arrive at the facility at least 15 minutes prior to check-in. A valid photo ID is required. 

All your questions can be answered after you register, at the Frequently Asked Questions page, or call 855-208-7349 during the following hours:
6AM – 4PM MST Monday – Friday, or 
7AM – 4PM MST Saturday – Sunday

Costs for Visits are subject to change but are:

Video Visits can be scheduled in 20 minute or 50 minute time blocks at a cost of $0.20 per minute.

$4 — 20 minute visit
$10 — 50 minute visit

Payment can be made with Visa, Mastercard debit, credit or gift cards.

Make sure you read and understand all of the video visitation rules.

There are three Ways to Communicate with an Inmate in the Red Onion State Prison by Phone

To get started you must first open an account with GTL Connect Network (aka Viapath Technologies)

• Advance Pay - This phone account allows you to prepay so that your inmate can call you (and only you) whenever he/she wants and the cost of each call is deducted from your balance. You can even be notified by text when your balance gets low. You still have the option of accepting or rejecting each call.
• Pin Debit  -  This option allows you to fund an inmate's commissary account and lets him pay for phone calls to you and others with the money. You will have no control over who your inmate calls.
• Voicemail  -  You can leave a secure voicemail without having to contact the facility. When you call the local phone number for a facility offering Inmate Voicemail (call Customer Service at 877-650-4249 to get the local voicemail number for Red Onion State Prison, you will be informed of the cost for leaving a message. To leave your message, simply select the inmate by ID number. Then, record your voicemail.

How to deposit money for Inmate Communications:

• Online
• By phone by calling 877-650-4249
• Deposit by cash, visa or mc debit and credit cards in the Red Onion State Prison lobby kiosk
• By mail... Check or Money Order made out to:
  AdvancePay Service Department
  P.O. Box 911722
  Denver, CO 80291-1722
• Cash deposits to ConnectNetwork are also available at 26,000 retail locations nationwide including Walmart, ACE, Kmart, Kroger, and more. You’ll start the payment process online in your ConnectNetwork account, then complete your transaction with cash at a participating local retail store. Plus, many of these stores are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Find a retail store near you.

Red Onion State Prison Inmate Mail Guidelines

Personal mail

All personal mail is photocopied and the inmate is sent a copy of the lettter. 

It is best to also have your return address on the letter as well in case the copy of your envelope gets separated.

Postcards
The Red Onion State Prison allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature. It is best to only use blue or black ink. Always include your name and return address.

Envelopes
The Red Onion State Prison also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates. It is best to only use blue or black ink.

Postcards and envelopes MUST HAVE the sender's full name and return address on the envelope. 

Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:

Inmate Name, Inmate ID#
Red Onion State Prison
Confirm Mailing Address here

Legal Mail

Send all Legal Mail to this Address:

Inmate Name, Inmate ID#
Red Onion State Prison
Confirm Mailing Address here

Newspapers
Newspapers may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The Red Onion State Prison allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address noted.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Red Onion State Prison standards will be disposed of. 
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.

All newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:

Inmate Name, Inmate ID#
Red Onion State Prison
Confirm Mailing Address here

Inmate Commissary

In addition to inmates in the Virginia Department of Corrections purchased commissary directly from the prison, you can send them quarterly care packages.

Red Onion State Prison contracts with Access Securepak, also known as ‘My Care Pack’, for families to send pre-determined packages of commissary items to your inmate every quarter.

Access Securepak carries over 1,000 different items in the following categories:
- Food and Snacks
- Personal Hygiene Products
- Electronics
- Apparel

Registration Process:
1. Register here.
2. Select Virginia.
3. Select Red Onion State Prison.
4. Find your Inmate.
5. Deposit Funds.
6. Order Commissary Items.
Once you are logged in, you will receive instructions on how much (and what products) you can send your inmate.
Contact Information:
* If you have any questions, you can call Access Securepak at 800-546-6283.
* You can email My Care Pack at customerservice@securepak.net.
* You can write them at:
    Access Securepak
    10880 Linpage Place
    St. Louis, MO 63132

* You can Live Chat with a Representative online: (bottom left corner of page)
   Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.–11 p.m. CST, 
   and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. CST.

*Note* Access Securepak will issue a refund for or replace broken, damaged, or missing products reported by Red Onion State Prison staff. They will not honor reports of discrepancies from inmate's families or friends.
My CarePack is the Red Onion State Prison's outside vendor for Commissary Items. They have a very good mix of Chips, Snacks, Candy, Meat, Seafood, Hygiene products, Letter writing materials, Electronics and Apparel items for sale on their website.

*NOTE* -- Once you are fully registered and have selected the inmate you wish to send commissary to, you will receive instructions on how much you can deposit, how much (and what) you can purchase for your inmate, and how often you can send commissary.

Once an inmate is convicted and sentenced for a violation of that state’s felony laws (and their sentence is more than one year in length), they are moved from the City or County Jail and sent to a State Prison in Virginia. If the violation they are convicted of is a federal crime, they will be sent to a Federal Prison, but will not necessarily be doing their time in Virginia.

Virginia State Prisons are operated and maintained by the state government and are used to confine and rehabilitate criminals. State prisons are funded by state tax money. The fund is used to provide food and clothes to inmates and to hire employees to keep the prison running. Inmates in state prison enjoy certain privileges such as TV use and recreation, both indoor and outdoor. The number of privileges allowed depends on the security level of the prison, the inmate and the overall needs of the prison on a specific day.

Virginia has minimum, medium and maximum security prisons. The Corrections Department in Virginia also maintains low (or no) security residential settings and camps where inmates assist in state property maintenance and duties such as fighting fires. Almost all prisons provide ‘jobs’ where an inmate can earn a small hourly wage and even learn a trade. Some prisons even contract with call centers and handle phone calls on issues related to their state government. Criminals who have committed a violent crime or killed someone are likely housed in a maximum security prison. If the inmate in these prisons behave, they are also eligible to recreate and/or work as well.

In Virginia Prisons rehabilitation is the stated goal but the reality is that they exist to punish inmates for their crimes and keep them from hurting or harming innocent people on the outside who follow the laws and live and act responsibly. The fact is that most prison systems are underfunded, overcrowded and are not able to spend time and money rehabilitating offenders. This is not the fault of the people hired to work in prisons, they are just victims of the lack of resources due to budgeting constraints.

State Inmate

Most states have Department of Corrections websites that allow you to type in a felon's first and last name and pull up inmates in that state.

If you need to find a sentenced inmate serving time in a state other than Virginia, go here. To find an inmate in Virginia, just scroll to the top of the page and click on the Inmate Search button.

Once you locate them click next to the inmate's name or on the link provided and it will show you which prison the inmate is housed in. If the inmate is no longer incarcerated, but is on parole/probation or discharged, it will tell you that as well. In addition, many state prison inmate pages show recent mug shots.

Federal Inmate

The federal prison system has its own inmate locator called the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.

Type in the inmate's name and it will tell you where he or she is incarcerated and their projected release date. It also lists released federal prison inmates and the date they were released.

Federal inmates who are moved from one prison to another will show as "No longer in federal custody" on the system until they reach their next federal prison destination. This movement can take a few days to several months to complete, so keep checking back to find out where the inmate was taken.

ICE Inmates

The ICE Detainee Lookup allows friends, family members and interested parties to locate illegal and/or undocumented immigrants that are in the United States without permission.

Has the Inmate been recently arrested?... Try a County Jail

In many cases, the person you are looking for has either not been convicted or sentenced or has been sentenced and is awaiting transport to a State or Federal Prison and is still incarcerated in a City or County Jail.

To locate that person, go here to first find the State, and then the County where they were originally arrested or have been transported to. From there you can begin your search in our databases that contain the names and information of millions of inmates.

Jailexchange.com has all information on every jail and prison in the United States.