Parenting From Prison in Virginia

Parenting From Prison in Virginia

Virginia's video visitation program is run by a nonprofit, not a prison phone vendor. **Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI)** has been providing video visitation services for Virginia since 2010, operating through a partnership with VADOC and ViaPath Technologies. The fees families pay for video visits go directly to AFOI to cover program operations. The Virginia Department of Corrections receives none of those fees.

That distinction matters because AFOI is not trying to maximize revenue the way a private telecom vendor is. It has reduced its video visit rates multiple times in recent years: from $0.20 per minute to $0.15 per minute on January 1, 2025, and from $0.15 to **$0.12 per minute effective July 1, 2025**. As of mid-2025, a 20-minute video visit costs $2.40 and a 50-minute session costs $6.00.

AFOI also does something almost no other organization in this series does: it provides **subsidized transportation to selected VADOC facilities** for families who need help making the drive. If you have a family member who wants to visit but cannot easily get to a facility in southwest Virginia, the AFOI transportation program at **afoi.org/adult-prison-transportation** is a resource worth knowing about.

Phone Calls Through ConnectNetwork

Phone calls at VADOC facilities run through **ConnectNetwork by Global Tel*Link (GTL)**. Inmates call collect or use their **PIN Debit Account** to call anyone on their approved call list. The call list is limited to a maximum of **15 numbers**.

Families set up a ConnectNetwork account at connectnetwork.com or by calling **1-800-483-8314**. The inmate's **7-digit state ID number** is required to link to the correct account. FCC rate caps apply.

Two account structures are available. **AdvancePay** links to your specific phone number and covers calls the inmate makes to that number. **PIN Debit** deposits funds into the inmate's own account, which they manage to call any number on their approved list. For a parent calling multiple children at multiple numbers, the PIN Debit structure is more flexible because it is not tied to one number.

The 15-number cap is more generous than some states in this series (Texas caps at 10), but it is still a limit. Choose the numbers strategically: the co-parent, grandparents, older children with their own phones, other caregivers who may bring younger children to the phone. Fill the list with the people whose voices your children need to share with you.

Video Visits Through AFOI: Four Things to Know

**One:** The at-home video visit is available on home computers (Windows or Mac), Android tablets, and Android smartphones. It is **not currently available for Apple iOS** devices - iPhones and iPads. If your family is entirely on iPhones and iPads, the at-home option is not available for them. They can use an AFOI Visitor Center instead, which uses compatible equipment.

**Two:** AFOI operates **Visitor Centers** at several locations throughout Virginia for families who do not have compatible technology or who want the Visitor Center setup. The Visitor Center option allows families who cannot do at-home visits to participate in video visitation.

**Three:** The current rate is $2.40 for a 20-minute session and $6.00 for a 50-minute session (as of July 2025). These rates are the result of multiple reductions and represent among the most affordable video visit pricing in this series for the session length offered.

**Four:** VADOC receives none of the fees. The money supports AFOI's program operations - the technology, the Visitor Centers, the staff, the transportation subsidies. AFOI is a nonprofit organization with a stated mission to support families of incarcerated individuals. That mission is what keeps the pricing accountable.

Schedule video visits at **vadoc.gtlvisitme.com** (desktop) or through the GTL Visit apps for Android. Visit the AFOI website at **afoi.org** for information about Visitor Centers and the transportation program.

Mail: Three Pages, Photocopied, Originals Shredded

Mail at VADOC facilities goes through a photocopying process. Incoming general correspondence is photocopied, and only the photocopies are delivered to the inmate. Originals are shredded after scanning. VADOC delivers a maximum of **three 8.5 x 11 pages** (front and back) from incoming mail to the inmate.

This has practical implications for a parent writing to their children from inside, or for a child writing to their parent:

- Letters must fit within three pages. A long letter that exceeds three pages will be truncated at the copy stage.

- Originals are destroyed. The physical letter your child sent, in their handwriting, is shredded. What arrives is a photocopy of the pages.

- All mail must include the inmate's full name, 7-digit state ID number, and full facility name and mailing address.

The photocopy is still their words. A child's drawing, photocopied, is still the child's drawing. The handwriting is preserved in the copy even if the original paper is gone. The three-page limit is the binding constraint - stay within it.

For a parent writing to children: keep the letter to three pages. Ask the real question within that space. Give them something to respond to. The limit applies on both sides - their letter back should also stay within three pages.

Visiting in Virginia: The Scheduler and the One-Visit Weekend Rule

All VADOC in-person visits must be scheduled in advance through the online **Visitation Scheduler** at vadoc.gtlvisitme.com. New visitors register on the site. After registration, approval comes via email within three working days. Once approved, visits can be scheduled up to **14 days in advance**. There is a maximum of **one visit per weekend** per visitor.

All institutions typically allow visiting on **Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays**, though individual facility procedures can vary. Contact the facility before planning a trip - schedules and specific rules at each institution can change.

The **VADOC visitor application** is submitted online at **visitationform.vadoc.virginia.gov**. The application takes about 20-30 minutes and cannot be saved as a draft - complete it in one sitting. Have the inmate's first and/or last name or inmate ID number and a form of photo ID ready before starting. Minors must be listed on an adult's approved application.

Central Visitation Unit: **VisitationInquiries@vadoc.virginia.gov** / P.O. Box 26963, Richmond VA 23261 / **804-887-8341**.

The AFOI Transportation Program

AFOI's transportation program provides subsidized travel to selected VADOC facilities for families who need it. This is genuinely unusual in this series - a nonprofit that provides both the video visitation infrastructure AND helps families get to the facility for in-person visits.

If a family member wants to visit someone at Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big Stone Gap or Red Onion State Prison in Pound - in the far southwest corner of Virginia, 6 to 7 hours from the Northern Virginia and DC suburbs - the transportation subsidy may make the difference between the visit happening and not happening.

Visit **afoi.org/adult-prison-transportation** for current transportation program information, participating facilities, and how to request assistance.

The Geography of Southwest Virginia

Virginia is a large state with a significant east-west range. The Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC are in the far north. The Hampton Roads metro (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Chesapeake) is in the southeast. The correctional facilities in southwest Virginia - Wallens Ridge, Red Onion, Keen Mountain - are in the Virginia coalfields, in Wise County and Buchanan County near the Kentucky and Tennessee borders.

For a family in Fairfax County visiting someone at Wallens Ridge, the drive is 6-7 hours. For a family in Virginia Beach visiting someone at Red Onion, it is similar. These are not day trips for most families.

For those families, the AFOI video visit and the GTL/ConnectNetwork phone call carry the primary regular contact. The in-person visit is what happens two or three times a year with planning and possibly AFOI transportation assistance. Use the digital channels consistently in the weeks and months between those trips.

Facilities in central Virginia - Greensville, Sussex, Buckingham, Dillwyn - are more accessible for families in Richmond and central Virginia. Facilities in the Tidewater and Piedmont are more accessible for Hampton Roads and Richmond families. Know your facility's geography before planning any contact strategy.

Money in Virginia

JPay handles money deposits at VADOC facilities and is the fastest way to fund an inmate's account. Fund the trust account for commissary and daily life through JPay. Fund the phone account through ConnectNetwork for calls.

For video visits, funds go through AFOI's program fees paid directly when scheduling through vadoc.gtlvisitme.com or the GTL apps.

For the Family Holding Virginia Together

Set up the ConnectNetwork account for phone calls. Submit the VADOC visitor application at visitationform.vadoc.virginia.gov. Register at vadoc.gtlvisitme.com for video visit scheduling. If the family is on iPhones, look into the AFOI Visitor Center option. If the facility is in southwest Virginia, check the AFOI transportation program at afoi.org.

Know the mail rules: three pages maximum, originals photocopied and shredded, 7-digit state ID required on every piece. Keep every letter to your children under three pages.

And hold the line on the human work. Virginia has a nonprofit running its video visits, subsidized transportation to far facilities, and a rate reduction program that has cut video costs multiple times in two years. These are real improvements built by people who care about family connection as a rehabilitation outcome. Use the tools they built.

Federal Prison in Virginia: Petersburg and USP Lee

Virginia has significant federal correctional infrastructure. **FCI Petersburg** (in Prince George County near the North Carolina border) includes Low and Medium security facilities. **USP Lee** in Lee County is a high-security federal penitentiary in southwest Virginia. Several other BOP facilities serve Virginia's federal population.

If you are in federal custody at a Virginia BOP facility or elsewhere, 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 nonprofit runs video visitation in Virginia?** Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI) has partnered with VADOC since 2010 to provide video visitation services. AFOI is a nonprofit - Virginia DOC receives none of the video visit fees. AFOI also provides subsidized transportation to select VADOC facilities. Visit afoi.org.

**What is the current cost of a video visit in Virginia?** As of July 1, 2025, video visits cost $0.12 per minute. A 20-minute session costs $2.40 and a 50-minute session costs $6.00. All fees go to AFOI to support program operations.

**Can I do an at-home video visit from an iPhone or iPad?** No. At-home video visitation is available on home computers (Windows or Mac), Android tablets, and Android smartphones. Apple iOS devices are not currently supported for at-home visits. AFOI Visitor Centers offer video visits for those without compatible technology.

**How many phone numbers can be on the VADOC call list?** The call list is limited to a maximum of 15 numbers. The inmate maintains the list. Families set up ConnectNetwork accounts at connectnetwork.com or 1-800-483-8314 to receive calls.

**What are the mail rules for Virginia state prisons?** Incoming general correspondence is photocopied and only the copies are delivered; originals are shredded. VADOC delivers a maximum of three 8.5 x 11 pages (front and back). All mail must include the inmate's full name, 7-digit state ID number, and full facility name and address.

**How do I schedule a visit in Virginia?** Complete the VADOC visitor application at visitationform.vadoc.virginia.gov. After approval (within three working days), schedule visits through the Visitation Scheduler at vadoc.gtlvisitme.com, up to 14 days in advance. Visiting is typically on Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays. Maximum one visit per weekend per visitor.

**What is the federal situation at FCI Petersburg and USP Lee?** Both are BOP facilities. Federal rules apply: 300 phone minutes per month with 15-minute call caps at $0.06 per minute, plus TRULINCS email through CorrLinks at $0.05 per minute on the inmate's end, free for families, up to 30 approved contacts, text only.