Schema: Article + FAQPage
Internal links (5): Indiana inmate search, send money to Indiana inmates, Indiana reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub
Voice: Formerly-incarcerated narrator. Plain, direct, honest. Written to the family member on the outside.
META BLOCK:
Family Rights and Advocacy in Indiana | InmateAid
When a person is first sentenced to Indiana DOC, they go to an intake facility. During intake, **programs and visitation are not initiated**. No visits. No timeline given -- visits do not begin until the intake classification process is complete and the person is assigned to a permanent facility. The only contact permitted during intake is written correspondence and legal phone calls (from licensed attorneys or authorized agencies like the Department of Child Services, on a case-by-case basis).
Indiana's intake facilities:
- Adult males: **Reception Diagnostic Center (RDC)**, Plainfield
- Adult females: **Rockville Correctional Facility**, Rockville
- Juvenile males: Logansport Juvenile Correctional Facility
- Juvenile females: LaPorte Juvenile Correctional Facility
If your loved one was just sentenced and you cannot reach them or are being turned away from visits, this is why. Write them a letter. That is currently the permitted contact.
Indiana IDOC's phone and tablet vendor is **ViaPath (formerly GTL)**. Set up an **AdvancePay** account at ConnectNetwork.com or call **800-483-8314**. ViaPath customer service: **877-650-4249**.
Starting in December 2024, IDOC began deploying new **Command 5.0 tablets** from ViaPath across all facilities (Indiana State Prison first; other facilities in 2025). Messaging through the new system goes through **GettingOut** (ViaPath's platform). If you had a ConnectNetwork account, you received information about creating a GettingOut account.
Indiana's family advocacy infrastructure is thinner than many states in this series. The ACLU of Indiana and Indiana Legal Services are the primary external contacts for families with rights issues. This article names what exists and is direct about what does not.
What Families Are Facing in Indiana
Indiana IDOC operates facilities across the state. Major facilities:
**Intake facilities**
- Reception Diagnostic Center (RDC) -- Plainfield, Hendricks County (west of Indianapolis); adult males
- Rockville Correctional Facility -- Rockville, Parke County (western Indiana); adult females intake and ongoing
**Adult male facilities**
- Indiana State Prison -- Michigan City, LaPorte County (extreme northern Indiana; about 1.5 hours from Indianapolis, about 1 hour from Chicago)
- Pendleton Correctional Facility -- Pendleton, Madison County (northeast of Indianapolis)
- Wabash Valley Correctional Facility -- Carlisle, Sullivan County (western Indiana)
- New Castle Correctional Facility -- New Castle, Henry County (east of Indianapolis)
- Plainfield Correctional Facility -- Plainfield, Hendricks County (west of Indianapolis)
- Westville Correctional Facility -- Westville, LaPorte County (northern Indiana)
- Miami Correctional Facility -- Bunker Hill, Miami County (north-central Indiana)
**Women's facilities**
- Indiana Women's Prison -- Indianapolis, Marion County
- Rockville Correctional Facility -- Rockville, Parke County
Indiana State Prison in Michigan City sits near the Illinois border and the shore of Lake Michigan -- the farthest point from Indianapolis in the system. For a family in Evansville (southern Indiana) visiting someone at Indiana State Prison: nearly 3 hours. Indiana has no mountains or vast rural expanses, but the distances across the state are real.
On phone: ViaPath is the statewide vendor. AdvancePay at ConnectNetwork.com or 800-483-8314. Post-FCC rate caps (April 2026) apply. Calls: monitored and recorded except legal calls.
On tablets: Command 5.0 ViaPath tablets deployed across facilities starting December 2024. Messaging through GettingOut. Video visitation through ViaPath. Dress standards and costs in the Video Visitation Guide at in.gov/idoc.
On mail: physical mail is screened -- all incoming and outgoing mail is opened and read by facility staff. Indiana IDOC has not announced a system-wide digital mail scanning transition as of research. Verify current policy with the specific facility.
On commissary: add funds to the incarcerated person's trust fund through the IDOC website or ViaPath platform.
Your Rights as a Family Member in Indiana
Visitation rights
**During intake: no visitation.** This is the most important single fact for families of newly sentenced people in Indiana. Visits are not initiated during the intake classification process at RDC (males) or Rockville (females). Contact during intake is limited to written letters and case-by-case legal calls.
After assignment to a permanent facility: visitation is available. To be approved:
1. Your loved one must contact you first -- write them a letter at the intake facility and wait for them to reach out.
2. You must submit an electronic application through the IDOC ViaPath website (State Form 14387). Registration is free.
3. Background check required.
4. You can visit only one incarcerated person unless you have other immediate family members also incarcerated in the same department.
Visits are scheduled through the IDOC website at in.gov/idoc. Check facility-specific schedules.
IDOC has strict rules on ID, dress code, and what you may bring. Familiarize yourself with the rules before you drive to avoid being turned away.
Communication rights
Your loved one must add your number to their approved phone list (up to 20 names/numbers total). They complete and sign the Telephone List (Indiana Code 11-8-2-5(a)(8)).
Set up an AdvancePay account at ConnectNetwork.com or call 800-483-8314. Call options: collect, prepaid collect, and inmate debit.
If you reach the maximum bill amount through your phone carrier for collect calls: call ViaPath at 877-650-4249 to switch to a prepaid account.
To block calls permanently: press "6" when prompted during an incoming call. You will need to set a 4-digit PIN to remove the block later. Or call ViaPath customer service at 877-650-4249.
All calls are recorded except legal calls to attorneys.
Video calls through GettingOut/ViaPath. Dress standards and costs at the IDOC Video Visitation Guide (in.gov/idoc).
Notification rights
Indiana IDOC is not required to notify family of transfers. Use the IDOC inmate locator at in.gov/idoc to track current location. IDOC notifies next of kin for serious medical emergencies and deaths; your loved one must have designated you in their IDOC records.
Grievance rights
Internal IDOC grievances must be filed by the incarcerated person. Family members cannot file internal grievances.
External pathways for families:
- IDOC Communication & Support Hub: in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/ -- the official family information portal
- Contact the specific facility's Warden's office
- ACLU of Indiana (aclu-in.org) for civil rights violations
- Your Indiana state legislators at iga.in.gov
- Federal DOJ Civil Rights Division for constitutional violations
IDOC Communication and Support Hub
Indiana IDOC has organized its family-facing resources under a Communication & Support Hub at in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/.
What the hub covers:
- Phone calls (ViaPath/AdvancePay)
- Tablets (ViaPath Command 5.0/GettingOut)
- Visitation application and scheduling
- Commissary and trust fund deposits
- Facility directory
- Inmate locator
This is the first stop for any operational question about staying connected -- phone setup, visitation application, tablet messaging, sending money.
For concerns about conditions of confinement or treatment inside a facility that cannot be resolved by contacting the facility directly: contact the Warden's office first, then the IDOC central office, then outside organizations.
IDOC Central Office contact: through the IDOC website at in.gov/idoc.
Indiana Advocacy Organizations
ACLU of Indiana
aclu-in.org
1031 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317-635-4059
The ACLU of Indiana is the primary external legal resource for people whose civil rights have been violated by a government agency or organization -- including Indiana DOC. The Indiana Judicial Branch's own website for family members of incarcerated people specifically directs people to "Help for people whose rights have been violated by a government agency or organization -- Visit ACLU of Indiana."
What the ACLU of Indiana does: civil rights litigation including prisoner rights; monitoring of DOC conditions; advocacy on criminal justice reform. They do not take individual grievance cases routinely. Contact them when the issue involves a pattern of rights violations, unconstitutional conditions, or retaliation.
Indiana Legal Services
indianalegalservices.org
Statewide intake: 1-800-869-0212
Indiana Legal Services provides free civil legal assistance to income-eligible Hoosiers. While not a prisoner rights litigator, they can assist with civil matters related to incarceration -- family law, housing, benefits -- and may provide referrals.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)
famm.org
FAMM has an active Indiana advocacy network. If your loved one is serving what you believe is an excessive mandatory sentence, FAMM connects families to advocacy networks, sentencing reform campaigns, and peer support.
Second Chance Indiana / Reentry Organizations
Indiana has a network of reentry service organizations that work with families preparing for a loved one's release. For referrals to local reentry support: dial **211** (United Way) for community resource connections in your Indiana county.
Prisoner Rights Organizations Families Can Contact on Their Loved One's Behalf
ACLU of Indiana
aclu-in.org | 317-635-4059
As described above. Primary prisoner rights legal organization in the state. For documented civil rights violations, unconstitutional conditions, or retaliation. Contact when the issue may have systemic scope.
Indiana Legal Services
indianalegalservices.org | 1-800-869-0212
Free civil legal assistance for income-eligible Hoosiers. Referrals to appropriate legal resources.
Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC)
humanrightsdefensecenter.org
Phone (for family members): 561-360-2523
HRDC advocates on phone costs, publications access, and free speech in facilities. ViaPath is Indiana's vendor; HRDC has expertise on ViaPath's practices nationally. For issues involving blocked publications, communications restrictions, or vendor cost concerns, family members can contact HRDC directly.
Indiana needs to be honest with family members about this: the prisoner rights and family advocacy infrastructure is not as developed as in states like Illinois or California. The ACLU of Indiana is the most reliable external contact. Beyond that, direct contact with your state legislators is often the most effective lever available to Indiana families.
The Tablet Transition: What Families Need to Know
Indiana began deploying new **ViaPath Command 5.0 tablets** in December 2024 at Indiana State Prison, with all remaining facilities upgrading through 2025.
Key facts about the transition:
- New tablets: ViaPath Command 5.0; upgraded Android OS; wider selection of apps; two headphone jacks; magnetic charging
- Messaging: now through **GettingOut** (gettingout.com), ViaPath's platform; ConnectNetwork users received information on creating a GettingOut account
- Photos and emails from the old system: **not transferable** to the new messaging system, but will be archived on the new tablets (this is different from California and Idaho, where content was lost)
- Same IDOC number and phone PIN on the new tablets
- Video visitation through ViaPath on the new tablets
For families who had ConnectNetwork accounts: check for the GettingOut account migration information that ViaPath sent. If you did not receive it, visit gettingout.com or call ViaPath customer service at 877-650-4249.
How to File a Complaint on Your Loved One's Behalf
Step 1: Document everything specific
Date, facility, staff name if known, what happened. Specific documentation is essential.
Step 2: Contact the facility's Warden's office
For most issues that can be addressed at the facility level, the Warden's office is the first contact. Find facility contact information at in.gov/idoc.
Step 3: IDOC Central Office
For issues that cannot be resolved at the facility level. Contact through in.gov/idoc.
Step 4: Contact your Indiana state legislators
State senator and state representative. Find at iga.in.gov. Indiana's Legislature has oversight authority over IDOC. Constituent calls carry weight.
Step 5: ACLU of Indiana
317-635-4059 | aclu-in.org. For civil rights violations, unconstitutional conditions, or documented abuse.
Step 6: Federal escalation
For civil rights violations: U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (justice.gov/crt). For federal facilities in Indiana: BOP North Central Region.
What families cannot compel: You cannot file an internal IDOC grievance for your loved one. You cannot override facility decisions on visitation or security. External organizations can advocate and investigate but cannot guarantee outcomes.
Staying Connected: The Practical Guide for Indiana Families
Phone
ViaPath (formerly GTL) is Indiana's phone vendor. Set up an AdvancePay account:
- Online: ConnectNetwork.com
- Phone: **800-483-8314**
- ViaPath customer service: **877-650-4249**
Options: collect calls, prepaid collect (AdvancePay), and inmate debit. Up to 20 approved numbers per incarcerated person.
Call forwarding and three-way calling are not permitted. All calls recorded except legal calls.
To block calls permanently: press "6" during an incoming call (requires 4-digit PIN). Or call ViaPath at 877-650-4249.
Post-FCC rate caps (April 2026) apply to interstate calls.
Tablets and messaging
GettingOut (gettingout.com) -- ViaPath's messaging and video platform -- is now the messaging system for Indiana DOC.
Create a GettingOut account if you previously had ConnectNetwork; migration information was sent by ViaPath. Or create new at gettingout.com.
Video visitation: through GettingOut/ViaPath on the Command 5.0 tablets. Dress standards and cost information in the IDOC Video Visitation Guide at in.gov/idoc.
Physical mail to facility address. Screened by facility staff (opened and read). Indiana IDOC has not announced a system-wide mail scanning transition. Verify current policy and mailing address with the specific facility through the IDOC facility directory at in.gov/idoc.
**During intake**: written letters are the only permitted family contact. Write to the intake facility (RDC for males in Plainfield; Rockville for females). Include the incarcerated person's full name and any ID number if known.
Commissary and trust fund
Add funds through the IDOC website at in.gov/idoc or through the ViaPath platform.
Visitation
Electronic application through the IDOC ViaPath website. Free to register. Must contact your loved one first (write a letter) before applying. Schedule visits at in.gov/idoc.
Not available during intake at RDC or Rockville.
Locating your loved one
IDOC Inmate Locator: in.gov/idoc (search by name and DOC number)
InmateAid Indiana inmate search: [internal link]
Supporting Yourself While Supporting Them
Indiana families navigating the DOC system face a system that has less family-facing support infrastructure than many other states. The ACLU of Indiana is named directly by Indiana's own judicial branch as the resource for families whose rights have been violated. That is the primary external contact.
The intake no-visitation period is the first and most disorienting thing families encounter. It has no fixed timeline -- it ends when classification is complete and a permanent assignment is made. Write letters. Be patient. Ask your loved one to update you when they get their DOC number and permanent assignment.
Once they are in a permanent facility: the ViaPath/ConnectNetwork/GettingOut system is the communication backbone. Set up your AdvancePay account before the first call comes through.
FAMM (famm.org) connects Indiana families to advocacy networks if your loved one is serving an excessive mandatory sentence.
Worth Rises (worthrises.org) tracks ViaPath's costs and practices nationally. If Indiana's call or video rates are a burden, Worth Rises is documenting them.
Dial **211** for local community resource referrals in your Indiana county.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I visit my loved one right after they were sentenced?
When a person is newly sentenced in Indiana, they go first to an intake facility for classification: the Reception Diagnostic Center (RDC) in Plainfield for adult males, or Rockville Correctional Facility for adult females. During this intake process, programs and visitation are not initiated. No timeline is specified -- the intake period continues until classification is complete and the person is assigned to a permanent facility. Written letters are the only permitted family contact during intake.
What phone and tablet system does Indiana DOC use?
ViaPath (formerly GTL). Set up an AdvancePay account at ConnectNetwork.com or call 800-483-8314. Messaging now goes through GettingOut (gettingout.com). Indiana began deploying new ViaPath Command 5.0 tablets in December 2024; all facilities upgraded through 2025. If you had a ConnectNetwork account, ViaPath sent instructions on creating a GettingOut account.
Are old photos and messages lost in the Indiana tablet upgrade?
No -- unlike some other states in this series, Indiana's ViaPath transition archives old photos and emails on the new tablets. The content is not transferable to the new messaging system (GettingOut), but it is archived on the device. The same IDOC number and phone PIN carry over.
How does the visitation application work in Indiana?
Submit an electronic application through the IDOC ViaPath website (State Form 14387); registration is free. You must contact your loved one first (write a letter) before applying -- the process requires them to be aware and involved. You can typically visit only one incarcerated person unless you have other immediate family members also in the same DOC. Background check required. Schedule visits through in.gov/idoc.
Who do I contact if my loved one's rights are being violated?
The ACLU of Indiana (aclu-in.org; 317-635-4059). Indiana's own judicial branch website directs family members there for rights violations by government agencies. For conditions of confinement inside the facility: contact the Warden's office first, then IDOC Central Office (in.gov/idoc), then the ACLU. For federal civil rights violations: DOJ Civil Rights Division (justice.gov/crt). Your Indiana state legislators at iga.in.gov are also effective contacts.
Can I block calls from the facility?
Yes. Press "6" during an incoming call from the facility to permanently block it; you will set a 4-digit PIN to remove the block later. Or call ViaPath at 877-650-4249. You can also refuse any individual call by hanging up or pressing "1" when prompted.
How do I find my loved one in Indiana DOC?
Use the IDOC Inmate Locator at in.gov/idoc -- search by name and DOC number. If they were recently sentenced, their DOC number may not be posted until they arrive at the intake facility and are processed. --- [SPEC NOTE: Series folder 1intOvghBAhj6-_YzDsYllOy4scUOeEGh. Internal CTAs: Indiana inmate search, send money to Indiana inmates, Indiana reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub. SOURCING: in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/ August 2024 (Indiana Department Correction designated intake facility each population adult males Reception Diagnostic Center adult females Rockville Correctional Facility juvenile males Logansport Juvenile Correctional Facility juvenile females LaPorte Juvenile Correctional Facility; because intake facility temporary placement programs and visitation are not initiated during this process; incarcerated individuals may receive written correspondence and/or legal phone calls current licensed attorneys or other state agencies Department Child Services approval facility case-by-case only while at intake facility; during intake process each individual evaluated through interviews reports diagnostic tests evaluation forms basis facility program assignment; ViaPath formally GTL corrections industry trusted one-stop source communication visitation education entertainment); in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/phone-calls/ February 2026 (incarcerated individual complete sign Incarcerated Individual's Telephone List Indiana Code 11-8-2-5(a)(8) no more than 20 names telephone numbers; several ways receive calls collect prepaid collect inmate debit; once reach maximum phone bill amount may be blocked from receiving future collect calls; call ViaPath 800-483-8314 sign up prepaid calling account; multiple ways block calls; refuse call by hanging up or pressing 1; block permanently press 6 when prompted asked provide 4-digit PIN; call ViaPath customer service 877-1650-4249 block future calls; ViaPath provides opportunity inmate telephone accounts created minutes purchased multiple payment solutions; AdvancePay allows friend family member set up calling account phone number without restrictions standard billing; every time calls made accepted prepaid number charges deducted account; prepaid accounts all types numbers including cell phones; visit ConnectNetwork.com or call 800-483-8314 set up AdvancePay account; debit calling puts inmate in control phone account; if threatened by incarcerated individual contact Warden facility); in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/tablets/ January 2026 (incarcerated individuals will have same ID number phone pin tablet; photos emails residing current system not transferable new messaging system however photos messages will be archived new tablets; new Command 5.0 tablets ViaPath upgraded operating system wider selection Android apps two headphone jacks magnetic charging; starting December 10 2024 incarcerated individuals Indiana State Prison begin receiving new Command 5.0 tablets; remaining facilities upgraded after start 2025; restricted from tablet service paper form ordering commissary; tablets video visitation options; friends family will start using new platform messages send photos all registered ConnectNetwork users should have received information how to create GettingOut account ViaPath); in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/visitation/request-visitation/ February 2026 (family members friends visit incarcerated individuals complete electronic application currently through IDOC ViaPath website free charge; State Form 14387 Application Visiting Privileges; each facility designate staff member receive process applications; part application process submission required forms prove identity); in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/visitation/ June 2024 (policy applicable all Department facilities housing adult offenders except offenders housed Intake Units or X-Row Indiana State Prison; available dates times listed facility schedule visit; Department shall not...); secure.in.gov/courts/defender/family/ March 2023 (regular visits greatly benefit incarcerated individuals families Indiana Department Correction allows in-person visits; visiting hours vary facility; must be on loved one's approved visitor's list before visitation; DOC strict visitation rules ID clothing items; familiar with rules before visit avoid being turned away; write to loved one in DOC all incoming outgoing mail opened read facility staff; need DOC number and facility; help people rights violated government agency organization visit ACLU Indiana); aclu-in.org 1031 E. Washington St. Indianapolis IN 46202 317-635-4059; indianalegalservices.org 1-800-869-0212; famm.org; worthrises.org; humanrightsdefensecenter.org 561-360-2523; iga.in.gov; justice.gov/crt; 211 Indiana; gettingout.com; ConnectNetwork.com 800-483-8314; 877-650-4249 ViaPath customer service; in.gov/idoc. NOTE for Poorwa: verify ViaPath still Indiana phone and tablet vendor; verify ConnectNetwork.com 800-483-8314 and 877-650-4249 current ViaPath numbers for Indiana; verify GettingOut gettingout.com now messaging platform for Indiana (December 2024 rollout; all facilities complete by late 2025 -- verify); verify photos archived on new tablets (not lost) vs transferable (confirm from in.gov/idoc/divisions/support-hub/tablets/); verify intake no-visitation policy still in effect at RDC (Plainfield) and Rockville for adult males and females respectively; verify mail policy -- Indiana not implementing digital mail scanning? Check in.gov/idoc; verify ACLU Indiana 317-635-4059 aclu-in.org current; verify Indiana Legal Services 1-800-869-0212 indianalegalservices.org current; verify IDOC inmate locator at in.gov/idoc current; verify FCC rate caps apply to ViaPath Indiana; verify Command 5.0 tablet rollout completed at all Indiana facilities by late 2025; len/char check before publish.]
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