NWSCF is for State Prison offenders sentenced anywhere from one year to life by the State Court in the county where the charges were filed
All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for State - medium facility.
The phone carrier is Global Tel Link (GTL) - ConnectNetwork, to see their rates and best-calling plans for your inmate to call you.
If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders
NWSCF is a State - medium state correctional facility in Swanton, VT, operated by the Vermont Department of Corrections. Inmates serve sentences ranging from one year to life and have access to programs including education, vocational training, and work assignments. This page covers how to locate an inmate, schedule visits, make calls, send money, and stay connected throughout their sentence at NWSCF.
While incarcerated, reading is often the best use of time. Please note that books and magazines, puzzles, and word searches ordered for inmates must come directly from the publisher. This policy ensures that the items are new, untampered, and comply with the facility's regulations. Prisons and jails enforce this rule to prevent the introduction of contraband or prohibited materials. By restricting orders to publishers, the facility can better maintain security and control over the content entering the institution. Any books or magazines not received directly from the publisher will be rejected and not delivered to the inmate. You may, however, send letters and selfies to inmates with this easy-to-use app, packages starting at only $8.00.
The Northwest State Correctional Facility in Swanton, Vermont, operates as one of the Vermont Department of Corrections’ primary state prison facilities and has increasingly become involved in federal immigration detention operations. The prison houses ICE detainees under contract with the Department of Homeland Security through agreements coordinated between Vermont officials and federal immigration authorities. Unlike county jails overseen by elected sheriffs, the facility is operated directly by the Vermont Department of Corrections, with prison administration led by state correctional officials rather than a sheriff’s office. Located near the Canadian border in Franklin County, the prison occupies a strategic geographic position for federal immigration enforcement activities throughout northern New England.
The correctional facility can house more than 350 inmates and detainees, making it one of Vermont’s larger state-operated correctional institutions. Originally designed as a traditional state prison for sentenced offenders, Northwest State Correctional gradually expanded its detention role through partnerships involving federal agencies and interstate inmate housing agreements. ICE detainees held at the facility are generally individuals awaiting immigration proceedings, deportation actions, asylum determinations, or transfer to other federal detention centers throughout the Northeast. Because Vermont maintains relatively few large correctional facilities, Northwest State Correctional has become an important detention site capable of handling multiple inmate classifications simultaneously.
ICE Detainee Information
This facility holds immigration detainees under an active contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in addition to its regular population. ICE detainees are civil immigration detainees, not criminal defendants, and are held while their immigration cases are processed. The rules, rights, and services that apply to ICE detainees differ from those that apply to the general jail population.
To locate an ICE detainee at this facility, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. You will need the detainee's A-Number, a nine-digit Alien Registration Number that appears on any immigration document they have received. If the A-Number has fewer than nine digits, add zeros at the beginning. If you do not have the A-Number, you can search using the detainee's full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth. Names must be an exact match; try variations if the first search returns no results.
Immigration bond works differently from criminal bail. Not all detainees are eligible for bond; those with certain criminal convictions or prior deportation orders may be subject to mandatory detention. For those who are eligible, bond is set by an immigration judge and typically ranges from $1,500 to over $10,000. Bond must be paid in full before release. An immigration attorney can request a bond hearing and argue for a lower amount based on the detainee's circumstances.
Unlike criminal defendants, ICE detainees do not have the right to a government-appointed attorney. They must hire a private immigration attorney or find free legal help through a nonprofit organization. RAICES provides legal services and bond assistance at raicestexas.org. The National Immigrant Justice Center offers free legal representation at immigrantjustice.org. Many immigration courts also maintain a list of free and low-cost legal service providers available to detainees upon request.
ICE transfers detainees between facilities frequently and with little advance notice, sometimes to locations far from family and legal counsel. If you cannot locate your family member through this page, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator again at locator.ice.gov with their A-Number. If they have an attorney, notify the attorney immediately as transfers affect court appearances and case timelines.
One of the most distinctive characteristics of Northwest State Correctional Facility is its proximity to the Canadian border and major northern New England transportation routes. Located just miles from the U.S.-Canada border crossing corridors, the prison sits within a region heavily utilized by federal border enforcement agencies including Customs and Border Protection and ICE. The facility has historically housed inmates from across Vermont while also supporting overflow and specialized housing needs tied to regional correctional operations. Its location in rural Franklin County creates a quieter and more isolated correctional setting compared to larger urban detention complexes operating elsewhere in the country.
Operationally, Northwest State Correctional functions as a medium-security state prison with extensive inmate management responsibilities involving intake processing, medical services, inmate transportation, visitation operations, classification housing, and rehabilitative programming. Vermont Department of Corrections staff oversee substance abuse treatment initiatives, educational services, vocational opportunities, and behavioral health support aimed at reducing recidivism among incarcerated individuals. The addition of ICE detainees under DHS agreements added another layer of operational coordination involving federal immigration authorities, detainee transportation logistics, and federal detention standards. Like many correctional facilities participating in immigration detention agreements, the prison has occasionally faced scrutiny from immigration advocacy organizations monitoring detainee treatment and detention conditions.
Today, Northwest State Correctional Facility continues serving as a key component of Vermont’s correctional infrastructure while also participating in the broader federal immigration detention network operating throughout the Northeast. Although far smaller than massive ICE detention complexes in Texas, Washington, or Louisiana, the prison’s role in housing immigration detainees reflects the federal government’s increasing reliance on state-operated correctional facilities for additional detention capacity. Its combination of rural isolation, border-state location, and state-federal detention partnerships has made Northwest State Correctional one of the more unique correctional institutions operating in northern New England.
