Parenting From Prison in Vermont

INMATEAID EDITORIAL ARTICLE

Schema: Article + FAQPage

Internal links: Vermont inmate search, send money, visitation guide (VTDOC), Staying Connected hub, Vermont reentry resources

SOURCING NOTE: VTDOC phone (official icscorrections.com/facilities/vt_doc.html: VTDOC contracts with ICS Corrections Inc. for calling; Prepaid Collect through ICSolutions billing agent 888-506-8407 or icsolutions.com; Debit calling available; funds for debit calls added to incarcerated individual's commissary Keefe Trust account; no fees or surcharges applied to telephone calls - only taxes; calls recorded/monitored except legal; official doc.vermont.gov family page: "ICSolutions phone calls can sometimes be flagged as robo calls and therefore inadvertently blocked by some carriers. If you think this is happening, you can resolve the issue by simply adding the ICSolutions phone number associated with the facility to your contacts on your cell phone"; families add facility-specific ICSolutions number to contacts; FCC rate caps apply; 15-20 min per call typical); tablets (official doc.vermont.gov: "ICS Tablets have been distributed to all facilities. Gold Passes provide the Incarcerated Individual with an hour of flex gold pass. This gives the incarcerated individual the ability to use the tablet and all available features for an hour without being logged out"; families purchase tablet passes through JailATM.com; icscorrections.com: purchase tablet passes via JailATM); video visitation (official doc.vermont.gov COVID page: "Family and friends can set up video visitation by registering through the provider. You can also type the following address into a web browser https://vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com/app"; GTL platform for video; separate from ICS phone platform); money/deposits (doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends: Debit Phone accounts: vermontpackage.com/Access Corrections; Prepaid Phone accounts: offenderconnect.com or 1-800-483-8314 or accesscorrections.com; commissary: 1-800-546-6283 or 1-866-345-1884; email customersevice@securepak.net; JailATM for tablet passes); out-of-state housing (official doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends/inmates-housed-out-state: "The Vermont Department of Corrections contracts with CoreCivic to house Vermont incarcerated individuals at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility located in Tutwiler, Mississippi. DOC staff continually monitor the terms of the contract and the welfare of the incarcerated individuals from Vermont"; DOC-signed CoreCivic contract 2023); VTDOC institutional (official doc.vermont.gov/about-us: six correctional facilities; 12 Probation & Parole Offices; "VTDOC is the only corrections department in the nation housed under the Agency of Human Services"; serves defendants detained pretrial, sentenced individuals, and community supervision; "Vermont has six Correctional Facilities and 12 Probation & Parole Offices. Vermont also houses a small number of men out of state due to lack of bed space in state"; Roadmap to 2030 launched 2024); VTDOC uses "incarcerated individuals"; structure (six facilities: Chittenden Regional CF Burlington/South Burlington area women's and some men; Caledonia County Regional CF St. Johnsbury Northeast Kingdom; Dale State CF Springfield; Marble Valley Regional CF Rutland; Northern State CF Newport near Canadian border; Southern State CF Springfield; DOC HQ 280 State Drive Waterbury VT 05671; doc.vermont.gov); BOP federal Vermont (no major BOP facility in Vermont; federal defendants to regional New England BOP; some housed at FCI Berlin NH; BOP TRULINCS/CorrLinks 300 min/month, 15-min call cap, $0.06/min audio per FCC Jan 2025, TRULINCS $0.05/min compose, 30 contacts max, no attachments); no separate county jail system in Vermont (VTDOC serves all incarceration).

SAFETY/EDITORIAL GUARDRAILS: Voice = knowledgeable formerly-incarcerated parent, warm, direct, personal. Vermont structural hooks: (1) ICS Corrections for phones + GTL for video = split vendor; (2) Gold Passes - unique Vermont tablet feature; (3) Out-of-state housing at Tallahatchie County CF Tutwiler Mississippi - worst-case geography for Vermont families; (4) only DOC under Agency of Human Services in the nation; (5) ICSolutions calls may be flagged as robocalls - specific warning; (6) six facilities, no county jail system. VTDOC uses "incarcerated individuals." Scott's firsthand woven as narrative. No em dashes, no smart quotes, no double hyphens.

Parenting From Prison in Vermont

Vermont's Department of Corrections is the only corrections department in the nation housed under the Agency of Human Services rather than a public safety or criminal justice agency. That placement is not incidental. It reflects a stated orientation toward rehabilitation and community connection that runs through the department's language, programs, and policies. Vermont calls its incarcerated population "incarcerated individuals" throughout its official materials. Its six correctional facilities are spread across a small, rural state where most of the population is within a reasonable drive of at least one facility.

But Vermont has a geographic shadow that most families do not expect until it happens to them: a contract with CoreCivic to house a portion of Vermont's male incarcerated population at the **Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Mississippi**. Tutwiler is in the Mississippi Delta, more than 1,400 miles from Burlington. For a Vermont family with a parent at Tallahatchie, the drive that takes 30 minutes to the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport takes 20 hours to Mississippi. The visit that is reachable in Vermont becomes a flight or a multi-day drive for a family at Tallahatchie.

This guide starts with that reality because it shapes everything else about communication for that population: the phone call becomes not a supplement to the in-person visit but the primary parenting channel, week after week, for the duration of the sentence.

ICS for Phone, GTL for Video: Vermont's Split Platform

Vermont uses two different vendors for two different communication channels, which is unusual enough to state clearly at the outset.

**ICS Corrections / ICSolutions** handles phone calls at all VTDOC facilities. To receive calls, families set up a Prepaid Collect account through ICSolutions at **icsolutions.com** or by calling **888-506-8407**. Debit calling is also available - funds added to the incarcerated individual's commissary (Keefe Trust) account can be used to place calls. No fees or surcharges are applied to phone calls. Only taxes are charged. FCC rate caps apply. Calls are typically limited to 15-20 minutes per call to ensure all incarcerated individuals have phone access.

**GTL** handles video visitation. The video visit scheduling portal is at **https://vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com/app**. Families register through GTL for video visits separately from the ICS phone account. Two platforms, two separate setups.

**One specific warning from the official VTDOC page:** ICSolutions calls can sometimes be flagged as robocalls and blocked by cell carriers. If your family is not receiving calls, the fix is simple: add the ICSolutions phone number associated with the specific facility to contacts on the cell phone. The VTDOC Constituent Services page lists the ICSolutions number for each facility. Add it to contacts and the calls come through.

Gold Passes: Vermont's Tablet Access Feature

ICS tablets have been distributed to all VTDOC facilities. Vermont has a specific feature that is unique in this series: **Gold Passes**. A Gold Pass provides the incarcerated individual with one hour of flex time on the tablet, allowing full access to all available features for one hour without being logged out.

Families can purchase Gold Passes for their incarcerated person through **JailATM.com**. The process: navigate to JailATM, sign in or create an account, select the facility, and search for the incarcerated person by last name or ID. Gold Passes effectively extend the tablet access window, which matters for educational programming, messaging, and other features that benefit from uninterrupted time.

For a parent, the Gold Pass is a practical gift that extends communication access. Purchasing a Gold Pass means the incarcerated person has a sustained block of time to use every communication feature the tablet offers. In a system where tablet time may be shared or limited by facility schedule, a Gold Pass creates a dedicated personal window.

The Robocall Problem: Add the Number First

Before anything else, tell your family to find the ICSolutions facility number for the specific VTDOC facility and add it to their phone contacts. This is the single most practical step to prevent the silence that results from calls going through but never ringing.

The VTDOC Constituent Services page at **doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends** lists the ICSolutions number for each facility. Find the number for your specific facility. Give it to every family member whose number is on the calling list. Tell them to add it to their contacts labeled something like "Vermont DOC - [facility name]." A call in contacts is a call that rings.

Once this is done, set up the ICSolutions account for ongoing access to calls through icsolutions.com or 888-506-8407. The account is the door. The contact entry in the phone is what makes sure the door opens when a call comes through.

Visiting in Vermont: Six Facilities Across a Small State

Vermont's six correctional facilities serve all of the state's incarcerated population - there is no separate county jail system in Vermont. VTDOC serves pretrial defendants, sentenced individuals, and community supervision all under one department. The six facilities are:

- **Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility** (South Burlington area, serving the Burlington metro)

- **Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility** (Rutland, central Vermont)

- **Northern State Correctional Facility** (Newport, Northeast Kingdom, near the Canadian border)

- **Caledonia County Regional Correctional Facility** (St. Johnsbury, Northeast Kingdom)

- **Dale State Correctional Facility** (Springfield, southeastern Vermont)

- **Southern State Correctional Facility** (Springfield, southeastern Vermont)

For Vermont families, the distances are manageable by the standards of this series. Vermont is a small state, and no facility is more than about two hours from most of the population. Chittenden Regional in the Burlington area is the most accessible for the most people. Newport and St. Johnsbury in the Northeast Kingdom require a drive for families in southern Vermont but are reachable in a day.

Visiting rules vary by facility and security level. The VTDOC Constituent Services page provides both general visiting rules (current rules for all facilities) and site-specific visiting schedules and contact information. Check **doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends** for current information before planning any visit.

The Tallahatchie Situation: Mississippi Is Far

Vermont's contract with CoreCivic to house Vermont incarcerated individuals at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Mississippi, exists because Vermont periodically runs out of bed space in its in-state facilities. Vermont DOC staff monitor the welfare of Vermont individuals housed there under the contract terms.

For a Vermont family with a parent at Tallahatchie, the communication reality is different from the in-state picture entirely. Tutwiler, Mississippi is not driveable from Vermont for a weekend visit. It requires a flight or a multi-day drive. The in-person visit, which is reachable every few weeks for an in-state family, may happen once or twice a year for a family in Burlington with a parent in Mississippi.

What closes that gap is the phone call, the tablet messaging, and the video visit. The GTL video visit scheduled through vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com is the face-to-face contact for Tallahatchie families - not a supplement to the in-person visit but the primary regular visual connection. The ICS phone call is the daily voice. The letter is the artifact.

If your person is at Tallahatchie, the VTDOC page on out-of-state incarceration has specific information and FAQs for families: **doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends/inmates-housed-out-state**. DOC staff monitor the contract and the welfare of Vermont individuals there. Contact information for questions about out-of-state housing is on that page.

The distance is real. The phone call and video visit are how parenting happens across it.

Money, Commissary, and Tablet Passes

Vermont's deposit system has several channels serving different purposes:

**For phone calls (Debit calling):** Add funds to the incarcerated individual's commissary (Keefe Trust) account through **vermontpackage.com** (Access Corrections). These funds can be used for phone calls placed from the individual's debit calling account.

**For Prepaid phone (family-side funding):** Set up a Prepaid Collect account through **offenderconnect.com** or **accesscorrections.com**, or call **1-800-483-8314**. For commissary ordering assistance: **1-800-546-6283** or **1-866-345-1884**.

**For tablet Gold Passes:** Purchase through **JailATM.com**. Requires a JailATM account (free to create).

**For packages:** Vermont Package Program through Access Corrections / Access Securepak.

The multiple accounts and platforms can feel overwhelming. The practical priority order: set up the ICS phone account first so calls can be received. Purchase a Gold Pass through JailATM if tablet access is important for messaging and features. Set up the GTL account for video visits separately through vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com.

The Letter in Vermont

Vermont's mail system has not moved to a digital scanning model as of research date - physical letters still travel as physical mail to the facility. Confirm current mail procedures with the specific facility or at doc.vermont.gov before sending, as policies can change.

For in-state facilities, the letter arrives as a physical object. For a parent writing to their children from a Vermont facility, the handwritten letter is available in its original form: your handwriting on the pages, arriving in an envelope with a Vermont return address. For a child, that object is distinct from the text on a tablet screen.

Write to each child individually. One letter, their name at the top, their world inside it. Vermont's seasons are specific and beautiful and sometimes severe: the mud season in April that Vermonters talk about with resigned humor, the summer that arrives late and leaves early, the foliage in October that draws visitors from everywhere, the deep winter that begins in November and doesn't release until March or April. Write to the season your child is living in. Ask the real question. Give them something to respond to.

For a parent at Tallahatchie in Mississippi, the letter to Vermont travels as physical mail to a Vermont family address. The letter from Vermont to Tallahatchie goes to the facility's Mississippi mailing address. The correspondence still flows. The distance is the hardest part, not the channel.

Vermont's Human Services Context

Vermont's placement of its corrections department under the Agency of Human Services rather than a law enforcement or public safety agency has practical implications for the parenting relationship. The department's Roadmap to 2030, launched in 2024, names Health & Wellness and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion as core priorities alongside staffing and modernization. The department explicitly cites research supporting family connection as a predictor of success after release.

For a parent, this context is not just philosophical. It means the visiting policy, the tablet distribution, the Gold Pass access, and the communication infrastructure are being developed by a department whose stated framework includes family connection as a positive outcome. The tools exist because the department believes they matter. Use them.

For the Family Holding Vermont Together

Add the ICSolutions facility number to every family member's phone contacts before the first call. Set up the ICS account for phone calls. Register at vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com for video visits. Check doc.vermont.gov for current visiting schedules and procedures at the specific facility.

If your person is at Tallahatchie in Mississippi, read the out-of-state housing FAQs at doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends/inmates-housed-out-state. Use the video visit as the primary face-to-face contact. Use the phone call as the daily voice. Write the letters.

And hold the line on the human work. Vermont's department is small and oriented toward rehabilitation and family connection. Six facilities in a small state, a unified system without separate county jails, and a platform that includes Gold Passes for extended tablet time. The infrastructure supports the contact. The contact requires the consistent decision to use it.

Federal Inmates From Vermont

Vermont has no major Bureau of Prisons facility. Federal defendants from Vermont are typically housed at regional New England BOP facilities, including FCI Berlin in New Hampshire.

If you are in federal custody and housed out of state, the national BOP standard applies. **Phone:** 300 minutes per month, 15-minute call caps at $0.06 per minute, plus 100 extra minutes in November and December. **TRULINCS/CorrLinks:** $0.05 per minute on your end, free for the family, up to 30 approved contacts, text only, no attachments.

FAQ

**What phone company does Vermont use?** VTDOC contracts with ICS Corrections / ICSolutions for phone calls. Families set up Prepaid Collect accounts at icsolutions.com or by calling 888-506-8407. ICS calls may be flagged as robocalls - add the facility's ICSolutions number to phone contacts to ensure calls come through.

**What is a Gold Pass in Vermont?** A Gold Pass provides an incarcerated individual with one hour of flex time on their ICS tablet, allowing full access to all available features without being logged out. Families can purchase Gold Passes through JailATM.com.

**How do video visits work in Vermont?** Video visits at VTDOC facilities are handled through GTL, separately from ICS phone calls. Register and schedule video visits at https://vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com/app.

**Are some Vermont inmates housed out of state?** Yes. Vermont contracts with CoreCivic to house some Vermont incarcerated individuals at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Mississippi, due to limited bed space in Vermont. For families of individuals at Tallahatchie, see doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends/inmates-housed-out-state for FAQs and contact information.

**How many correctional facilities does Vermont have?** Vermont has six state correctional facilities: Chittenden Regional (South Burlington), Marble Valley Regional (Rutland), Northern State (Newport), Caledonia County Regional (St. Johnsbury), Dale State (Springfield), and Southern State (Springfield). Vermont has no separate county jail system.

**How do I send money in Vermont?** For debit phone calls: fund the Keefe Trust commissary account through vermontpackage.com or Access Corrections. For Prepaid phone: offenderconnect.com or accesscorrections.com or 1-800-483-8314. For tablet Gold Passes: JailATM.com.

**What is unique about Vermont's DOC?** VTDOC is the only corrections department in the nation housed under the Agency of Human Services rather than a public safety agency, reflecting a rehabilitation and human services orientation. It serves pretrial detainees, sentenced individuals, and community supervision under one department.

[Affiliate handling: Product-light parenting spoke - NO external affiliate links. Internal CTAs only (standard 5): Vermont inmate search, send money, visitation guide VTDOC, Staying Connected hub, Vermont reentry resources. SOURCING: VTDOC phone (official icscorrections.com/facilities/vt_doc.html: VTDOC contracts with ICS Corrections; Prepaid Collect through ICSolutions 888-506-8407 icsolutions.com; Debit calling via Keefe Trust commissary; no fees/surcharges only taxes; calls recorded/monitored except legal; official doc.vermont.gov: ICSolutions calls may be flagged as robocalls - add facility ICSolutions number to contacts; FCC rate caps; 15-20 min typical); tablets (official doc.vermont.gov family page: "ICS Tablets have been distributed to all facilities. Gold Passes provide the Incarcerated Individual with an hour of flex gold pass. This gives the incarcerated individual the ability to use the tablet and all available features for an hour without being logged out"; JailATM.com for tablet passes; icscorrections.com: JailATM purchase process); video (official doc.vermont.gov COVID page: GTL platform; https://vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com/app); money (doc.vermont.gov family page: vermontpackage.com/Access Corrections for debit phone/commissary; offenderconnect.com or accesscorrections.com or 1-800-483-8314 for prepaid phone; 1-800-546-6283 or 1-866-345-1884 for commissary; customersevice@securepak.net; JailATM for tablet passes); out-of-state (official doc.vermont.gov/information-inmate-families-and-friends/inmates-housed-out-state: "The Vermont Department of Corrections contracts with CoreCivic to house Vermont incarcerated individuals at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility located in Tutwiler, Mississippi. DOC staff continually monitor the terms of the contract and the welfare of the incarcerated individuals from Vermont"); VTDOC (official doc.vermont.gov/about-us: six correctional facilities; 12 Probation & Parole Offices; "VTDOC is the only corrections department in the nation housed under the Agency of Human Services"; serves pretrial/sentenced/community supervision; small number of men out of state due to bed space; Roadmap to 2030 launched 2024); VTDOC uses "incarcerated individuals"; structure (Chittenden Regional CF South Burlington; Marble Valley Regional CF Rutland; Northern State CF Newport near Canadian border; Caledonia County Regional CF St. Johnsbury; Dale State CF Springfield; Southern State CF Springfield; DOC HQ 280 State Drive Waterbury VT 05671; doc.vermont.gov); BOP Vermont (no major BOP; regional New England BOP; FCI Berlin NH nearby; TRULINCS/CorrLinks 300 min/month + 100 Nov-Dec, 15-min cap, $0.06/min audio per FCC Jan 2025, TRULINCS $0.05/min compose, 30 contacts max, no attachments). GUARDRAILS: no em dashes, no smart quotes, no double hyphens; warm/direct/personal voice; ICS/GTL split + Gold Passes + Tallahatchie Mississippi out-of-state + only corrections under Agency of Human Services + robocall warning as structural hooks. Scott firsthand woven. NOTE for Poorwa: verify ICS Corrections still VTDOC phone provider; verify GTL still VTDOC video platform vermontdoc.gtlvisitme.com; verify Gold Passes still available and still through JailATM; verify Tallahatchie County CF Tutwiler Mississippi still out-of-state housing contract; verify vermontpackage.com and offenderconnect.com/accesscorrections.com and 1-800-483-8314 are current deposit options; verify ICSolutions robocall warning is current per doc.vermont.gov; verify six facilities list is current (no closures/openings); verify no county jail system in Vermont is still accurate; verify VTDOC HQ 280 State Drive Waterbury VT; len()/character check before publish.]