SPOKE ARTICLE - Video Visitation series - DELAWARE

Target URL: /information/video-visitation-in-delaware (confirm path with Selva)

Links up to: /prisons/delaware (state hub)

Editorial: no em dashes, plain former-insider voice, FAQ headings under 60 chars, NO hardcoded per-minute prices in body

STRUCTURE: UNIFIED SYSTEM (compressed) - no county-jail bucket; one DOC video policy. Like Alaska, Connecticut.

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ARTICLE BODY

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Inmate Video Visitation in Delaware

If you are trying to see someone who is locked up in Delaware, the system here is simpler in one way than in most states: there are no county jails to figure out. Delaware runs everything through a single state agency, so there is one set of rules for visiting, whether your person is awaiting trial or serving a sentence.

That is because Delaware operates a unified correctional system. The Delaware Department of Correction runs all of the state's prisons and detention facilities directly, organized into supervision levels rather than split between county and state. So this guide does not have a separate county section. There is the state DOC system, which covers almost everyone, and then the federal and immigration systems, which are separate and mostly out of state. Here is how video visitation works.

Do Delaware state facilities offer video visitation?

Yes, and Delaware handles it in a way families tend to like: video is offered in addition to in-person visiting, not as a replacement for it. The Delaware Department of Correction lets most incarcerated people have one video visit and one face-to-face visit each week. So you are not forced to choose between seeing your person in person and connecting by video; in a typical week you can do both.

Here is how the two types work. Face-to-face visits are scheduled in advance by phone, usually by calling the facility during set weekday hours to book for the following week. Video visits are paid and scheduled online through the facility's video provider. Both run in set time blocks, with video visits typically offered in 15 or 30 minute increments. As with everywhere, you have to be on the inmate's approved visitor list before you can schedule either kind.

One practical note specific to Delaware: the state moved to a centralized mail scanning system in 2024, so physical letters are processed through a central facility rather than arriving directly at the prison. That does not affect video, but it is worth knowing when you think about all the ways to stay in touch.

How a Delaware video visit works

The steps are straightforward, since it is one statewide system:

First, find your person and confirm their facility using the DOC inmate search, because visits are scheduled through the facility where they are housed.

Second, get on the inmate's approved visitor list. You cannot schedule anything until you are approved, so do this first.

Third, register with the facility's video visitation provider and create your account. Delaware facilities have used the GettingOut system from ViaPath, also known as GTL, for video registration, while Securus handles phone calls and electronic messaging. Check the facility's page for the current provider, and have a valid government photo ID ready.

Fourth, schedule and pay for your video visit through the provider's site, picking an available time slot. Remember you can also book your separate weekly face-to-face visit by phone.

Fifth, for the video visit, test your device, camera, and internet ahead of time, and log in a few minutes early. Everyone who appears on the visit must be an approved visitor, and visits are monitored and recorded, so follow the same dress and conduct rules you would for an in-person visit.

Because the price of a remote video visit depends on the provider and is set by them, this guide does not quote rates. Federal rules that took effect through 2024 to 2026 pushed video visitation costs down, so the current price is whatever the provider lists when you book. Always check the rate before you pay.

Federal and immigration custody

Delaware is unusual in that it has no major federal prison of its own. If your person is taken into federal custody in Delaware, the Bureau of Prisons typically houses District of Delaware detainees out of state, often at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, which sits just across the state line and serves the federal courts for Delaware, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. The Bureau of Prisons runs its own visitation, primarily in-person, and you arrange it through the facility actually holding your person. Use the federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator to find them first.

Delaware also has no standalone ICE detention center. People taken into immigration custody in Delaware are generally held out of state, including at facilities that double as federal detention centers like the one in Philadelphia. Immigration enforcement activity in Delaware has increased recently, and the state has moved to limit its own involvement with private detention, but the practical reality for families is that your person may be held some distance away. To find and follow someone in ICE custody, use the federal ICE Online Detainee Locator and the person's A-Number, then confirm visitation through whatever facility is holding them. Getting legal help early is worthwhile.

A note on staying connected

Video visits are one piece of staying in touch, and in Delaware the good news is you do not have to trade them for in-person visits, since the state allows both each week. Mail still reaches almost everyone in custody, it is the steadiest form of contact, and a person who hears from home regularly does easier time, though remember Delaware now scans incoming mail through a central facility. Phone calls are the other backbone. Many families use a mix: mail as the constant, calls for regular contact, a weekly face-to-face visit, and a weekly video visit to add more time together. To set any of this up for the specific facility holding your loved one, find that facility on InmateAid and follow the instructions on its page.

[Internal link block to render at foot of article:]

- See every prison and detention facility in Delaware: /prisons/delaware

- Understand the new 2026 call and video rates: link to FCC Prison Phone Rate Caps 2026 guide

- Search arrest records across Delaware: Arrest Record Search (honestly labeled affiliate)

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