Parenting From Prison in West Virginia

Schema: Article + FAQPage

Internal links: West Virginia inmate search, send money, visitation guide (WV DCR), Staying Connected hub, West Virginia reentry resources

SOURCING NOTE: WV DCR phone/video (official dcr.wv.gov/services/offenderservices/Pages/calling.aspx: "The WV Division of Corrections has contracted with GettingOut to provide calling and video visits to inmates"; GettingOut.com; GettingOut app iOS and Android; Guide and Support Numbers PDF at DCR; GettingOut customer service 866-516-0115; DCR main 304-558-2036; HQ 1409 Greenbrier Street Charleston WV 25311; jailexchange.com October 2024: two account types - Inmate Account = inmate manages and can call/video anyone; Friends & Family Account = family controls, inmate can only call that one number; GettingOut customer service 866-516-0115); mail (official dcr.wv.gov/services/offenderservices/Pages/Mail.aspx: "You must mail all letters to offenders at the following address: Inmate's First and Last Name and OID Number / Full name of Facility (no abbreviations) / PO Box 336 / Phoenix MD 21131"; sender must include full return address with complete first and last name - no initials; "1) Photographs. If the envelope contains photographs, it will be returned to the sender. 2) You can only send the letter to one offender. If the envelope contains multiple offenders, it will be returned to the sender. 3) No attachments or enclosures allowed with the letter. Handwritten or typed letters are only allowed to be scanned to the offender. 4) Violation of any of the above will cause all contents to be returned to the sender"); visiting (dcr.wv.gov: Visitor Request Form JVisitForm.pdf; westvirginiaprisonroster.org: "fill out the Visitor Request Form available on the West Virginia Division of Corrections website; Visitation times vary depending on the offender's housing unit; confirm schedule before arranging a visit"; inmateaid.com WV DOC page: "No cellphones, you will be searched before visiting. NO personal belongings. Persons under probation, parole, or other community corrections supervision must obtain the permission of both their individual supervising officer and the superintendent prior to a visit. Such visitation is not normally approved. If the visitor is under the age of 18 and is a family member of the inmate, they must be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian to include a member of the inmate's extended family. If the visitor is under the age of 18 and is not a family member of the inmate, the minor visitor must be accompanied by a parent or guardian"); deposits/commissary (westvirginiaprisonroster.org: JPay platform for commissary account funding; confirm GettingOut for phone/video deposits); WV DCR uses "inmates" and "offenders"; notable context (West Virginia highest female incarceration rate; opioid epidemic context); structure (Mount Olive Correctional Complex Mount Olive max/close; Huttonsville CC Huttonsville Randolph County medium mountains; St. Mary's CC St. Mary's medium; Denmar CC Hillsboro medium; Northern CC Moundsville; Lakin CC West Columbia women's Mason County Ohio River; Pruntytown CC Grafton medium; Salem CC Salem; Beckley CC Beaver minimum; Martinsburg CC Martinsburg community; 10 regional jails under WV Regional Jail Authority separate from DCR state facilities; DCR HQ 1409 Greenbrier Street Charleston WV 25311; 304-558-2036; dcr.wv.gov); BOP federal WV (FCI Hazelton complex Bruceton Mills WV - FCI Hazelton and USP Hazelton and federal camp - large federal complex; FCI Gilmer Glenville; 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); regional jails (10 WV Regional Jails under separate Regional Jail Authority; each may have own vendor; confirm with specific facility); geography (small mountainous state; Mount Olive central/south WV; Huttonsville Appalachian Mountains Randolph County; Lakin women's Mason County Ohio River; Charleston/Huntington corridor most populated; facilities scattered through mountains).

SAFETY/EDITORIAL GUARDRAILS: Voice = knowledgeable formerly-incarcerated parent, warm, direct, personal. West Virginia structural hooks: (1) GettingOut for all calls and video; two account types (Inmate Account vs Friends & Family Account); (2) PO Box 336 Phoenix MD 21131 for all mail - digital scanning; (3) NO photos in mail - returned to sender; no attachments; letters scanned to offender; (4) no initials on return address; (5) probation/parole visitors need supervisor AND superintendent permission. WV DCR uses "inmates"/"offenders." Scott's firsthand woven as narrative. No em dashes, no smart quotes, no double hyphens.

Parenting From Prison in West Virginia

West Virginia uses one platform for both phone calls and video visits. The WV Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation has contracted with **GettingOut** to provide all calling and video visit services to inmates. One app, one account, two channels of contact. Families can set up the GettingOut account at **GettingOut.com** or through the GettingOut app on iOS or Android.

The other thing every family needs to know immediately: mail in West Virginia does not go to the facility. All letters must go to a digital scanning center in Maryland, at **PO Box 336, Phoenix MD 21131**. A letter sent to the facility address will not reach the inmate. And mail in West Virginia has a specific rule that photographs do not: if the envelope contains photographs, the entire envelope is returned to the sender. Not the photos alone. The envelope and everything in it, returned.

Those two facts define the initial contact setup for a West Virginia family. GettingOut for calls and video. PO Box 336 in Maryland for letters, without photos.

GettingOut: Two Account Structures

GettingOut offers two different account types, and the choice between them determines who controls the communication and which phone numbers can receive calls.

**Inmate Account:** Funds deposited to the inmate's account. The inmate manages the account and can use those funds to call or video visit anyone on their approved list. This is the more flexible structure for a parent who needs to reach multiple children at different phone numbers.

**Friends and Family Account:** The family member controls the account. The inmate can only call the specific phone number tied to that account. This structure is more restrictive but gives the family member direct control over communication funding for their number.

For a parent trying to maintain contact with multiple children at multiple households, the Inmate Account structure is typically more practical. The inmate manages one funded account and can use it to reach different family members. If a co-parent wants direct control over their own phone account and is the primary receiver, the Friends and Family Account structure may fit better.

Deposit funds through GettingOut.com. For questions or support: **GettingOut customer service at 866-516-0115**. WV DCR main line: **304-558-2036**.

Mail: PO Box 336, Phoenix MD, No Photos

All letters to inmates at West Virginia DCR facilities go through a digital scanning center. The official mailing address is:

Inmate's First and Last Name and OID Number

Full name of Facility (no abbreviations)

PO Box 336

Phoenix, MD 21131

Three rules from the official WV DCR mail page that cause returns if violated:

**No photographs.** If the envelope contains photographs, it will be returned to the sender. The entire envelope comes back, not just the photos.

**One offender per envelope.** If the envelope lists multiple offenders' names, it will be returned.

**No attachments or enclosures.** Only handwritten or typed letters are allowed. The letter is scanned and delivered digitally to the inmate. No stickers, drawings, pressed flowers, or anything added to the pages.

The sender must include a full return address with complete first and last name. No initials on the return address. An envelope without a proper return address cannot be returned to the sender if it is rejected.

The OID number is the inmate's official identification number. Include it in the address line alongside the full name. Without the OID, the letter may not be matched to the correct inmate.

For a parent writing to their children from inside a West Virginia facility, outgoing mail travels as standard physical mail. The digital scanning rules apply to incoming mail only.

What This Means for the Letter

The letter still matters, even when it arrives on a screen. A letter scanned and displayed on a tablet is still your handwriting, your words, your specific question asked of that specific child. The scanning does not change what you wrote. It changes how it arrives.

Write to each child individually. One letter, their name at the top, their world inside it. West Virginia's terrain is specific: the Appalachian ridgelines, the hollow communities tucked between them, the coal country in the southern coalfields, the New River and Gauley River watersheds. Write to the season your child is living in. Ask the real question. Give them something to respond to.

And because photos cannot come to you in the mail, the GettingOut video visit is where you see their faces. The letter is for the words. The GettingOut session is for the visual connection. Use both.

Visiting in West Virginia

To visit someone in a WV DCR facility, complete the **Visitor Request Form** available on the WV DCR website at dcr.wv.gov. Visiting times vary by facility and housing unit. Confirm the schedule directly with the facility before making a trip.

Several visiting rules from WV DCR that families should know:

No cellphones inside the facility. All visitors are searched before entry. No personal belongings allowed inside.

**Persons on probation, parole, or other community corrections supervision** must obtain permission from both their individual supervising officer and the facility superintendent before visiting. This permission is not normally granted. If anyone in the visiting group is under community supervision, the visit requires that dual-approval process.

**Minors under 18 who are family members** of the inmate must be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian, which can include a member of the inmate's extended family. Minors who are not family members of the inmate must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For visiting hours at a specific facility, check the facility's page on dcr.wv.gov or call the facility directly.

West Virginia's Facilities and Geography

West Virginia is a small, mountainous state with no large urban centers. The facilities reflect that geography: they are spread through the mountains, often in rural communities with limited driving approaches.

**Mount Olive Correctional Complex** in Mount Olive is the primary maximum security facility, in the central part of the state south of Charleston. **Huttonsville Correctional Center** is in Randolph County in the Allegheny Mountains of central West Virginia. **Huttonsville sits at roughly 2,600 feet elevation** in one of the more remote corners of the state.

**Lakin Correctional Center** in West Columbia, on the Ohio River in Mason County, houses women. **St. Mary's Correctional Center** and **Denmar Correctional Center** are medium security facilities in the Allegheny highlands. **Pruntytown** in Grafton is in Taylor County, north-central WV. **Salem Correctional Center** is in Harrison County.

For families in Charleston or Huntington, the central and southern facilities are the most accessible. For families in the Northern Panhandle near Wheeling, or in the Eastern Panhandle near Martinsburg, the Martinsburg Correctional Center is closer.

West Virginia also has 10 regional jails operated by the separate West Virginia Regional Jail Authority - a different system from the DCR state facilities. If a family member is in a regional jail rather than a state facility, contact that jail directly for its phone vendor, visiting rules, and commissary procedures, as they differ from WV DCR state facility procedures.

Commissary and Deposits

For commissary funds at WV DCR state facilities, **JPay** handles deposits to the inmate's trust account. For GettingOut phone and video funds, deposit through GettingOut.com.

Keep both accounts funded. The trust account covers commissary, medical co-pays, and daily life. The GettingOut account covers the phone calls and video visits that are the primary parenting contact channels.

West Virginia's Context

West Virginia has been at the center of the opioid epidemic for longer than almost any other state, and its incarcerated population reflects that crisis. A significant proportion of West Virginia's inmates are there because of drug-related offenses. For families, this means that the person inside is often someone dealing with the aftermath of addiction - and that the community outside is often carrying that weight too.

This is not the place to address addiction directly in a parenting context, but it is the reality that many West Virginia families are navigating: a parent who went in because of drug charges, children who are aware of what happened, and the work of maintaining a relationship across that history while preparing for the person to come home.

The calls and the letters and the visits are all part of that. Use them.

For the Family Holding West Virginia Together

Set up GettingOut at GettingOut.com. Choose the account type - Inmate Account if the inmate needs flexibility to reach multiple people, Friends and Family Account if you want direct control over your number. Update your mailing address to PO Box 336, Phoenix MD 21131 with the inmate's full name and OID number, full facility name, no initials on the return address. Do not include photos or any attachments.

Complete the Visitor Request Form at dcr.wv.gov. Confirm visiting hours with the specific facility. If anyone in the visiting group is on probation or parole, start the supervisor and superintendent permission process early because it adds significant time.

And keep the contact going. West Virginia's mountains make distance feel larger than it often is. GettingOut works the same from a hollow in Randolph County as from Charleston. The call reaches. Use it.

Federal Prison in West Virginia: Hazelton and Gilmer

West Virginia has a significant federal prison presence. The **FCI Hazelton complex** in Bruceton Mills, in Preston County in the northern part of the state, includes FCI Hazelton, USP Hazelton (a high-security penitentiary), and a federal camp. It is one of the larger federal complexes in the mid-Atlantic region. **FCI Gilmer** is in Glenville, in the central part of the state.

If you are in federal custody at Hazelton, Gilmer, or another BOP facility, 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. Federal communication operates separately from GettingOut.

FAQ

**What platform does West Virginia use for phone calls and video visits?** WV DCR has contracted with GettingOut for all calling and video visits. Set up an account at GettingOut.com or the GettingOut app for iOS or Android. Customer service: 866-516-0115.

**What are the two GettingOut account types in West Virginia?** The Inmate Account gives the inmate control to call anyone on their approved list using their funded account. The Friends and Family Account is controlled by the family member and restricts the inmate to calling only that family member's specific number.

**Where do I send mail to someone in a West Virginia state prison?** All letters go to the digital scanning center: [Inmate's First and Last Name and OID Number] / [Full Facility Name - no abbreviations] / PO Box 336 / Phoenix MD 21131. Include your full first and last name as return address - no initials.

**Can I send photos in a letter to a West Virginia inmate?** No. Photographs are not allowed. If the envelope contains photographs, the entire envelope is returned to the sender. Photos cannot be included as attachments or enclosures of any kind.

**What are the visiting rules for minors in West Virginia?** Minors under 18 who are family members of the inmate must be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian, including extended family. Minors who are not family members must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

**Can someone on probation or parole visit a West Virginia inmate?** Only with dual approval - permission from both their individual supervising officer and the facility superintendent. This is described as not normally approved.

**What is the federal situation at FCI Hazelton?** The Hazelton complex in Bruceton Mills includes FCI Hazelton, USP Hazelton (high security), and a camp. BOP 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.

[Affiliate handling: Product-light parenting spoke - NO external affiliate links. Internal CTAs only (standard 5): West Virginia inmate search, send money, visitation guide WV DCR, Staying Connected hub, West Virginia reentry resources. SOURCING: WV DCR phone/video (official dcr.wv.gov/services/offenderservices/Pages/calling.aspx: GettingOut contracted for calling and video visits; GettingOut.com; iOS and Android app; Guide/Support PDF at DCR; GettingOut customer service 866-516-0115; DCR 304-558-2036; HQ 1409 Greenbrier Street Charleston WV 25311; jailexchange.com October 2024: Inmate Account vs Friends & Family Account - Inmate Account = inmate manages can call anyone; F&F Account = family controls inmate can only call that number; GettingOut customer service 866-516-0115); mail (official dcr.wv.gov/services/offenderservices/Pages/Mail.aspx: PO Box 336 Phoenix MD 21131; format: Inmate First Last Name OID Number / Full Facility Name no abbreviations / PO Box 336 / Phoenix MD 21131; full return address complete first and last name no initials; "Photographs. If the envelope contains photographs, it will be returned to the sender"; "You can only send the letter to one offender. If the envelope contains multiple offenders, it will be returned to the sender"; "No attachments or enclosures allowed with the letter. Handwritten or typed letters are only allowed to be scanned to the offender"); visiting (dcr.wv.gov: Visitor Request Form JVisitForm.pdf; westvirginiaprisonroster.org: confirm schedule before visiting; inmateaid.com WV DOC: no cellphones; searched before visiting; no personal belongings; persons on probation/parole/community supervision need permission of supervising officer AND superintendent - not normally approved; minor family member with adult family/guardian including extended family; minor non-family with parent/guardian); deposits (westvirginiaprisonroster.org: JPay for commissary; GettingOut for phone/video); WV DCR "inmates"/"offenders"; structure (Mount Olive CC Mount Olive max/close; Huttonsville CC Huttonsville Randolph County medium mountains; St. Mary's CC; Denmar CC Hillsboro; Northern CC Moundsville; Lakin CC West Columbia women's Mason County Ohio River; Pruntytown CC Grafton; Salem CC Salem; Beckley CC Beaver minimum; Martinsburg CC community; 10 regional jails under WV Regional Jail Authority separate from DCR; DCR HQ 1409 Greenbrier St Charleston WV 25311; 304-558-2036; dcr.wv.gov); BOP WV (FCI Hazelton complex Bruceton Mills Preston County: FCI Hazelton + USP Hazelton + camp; FCI Gilmer Glenville; 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; GettingOut two account types + PO Box 336 Phoenix MD + no photos returned + two-approval visiting for probation/parole + minors visiting rules + Hazelton complex as structural hooks. Scott firsthand woven. NOTE for Poorwa: verify GettingOut still WV DCR vendor per current dcr.wv.gov/services/offenderservices/Pages/calling.aspx; verify PO Box 336 Phoenix MD 21131 is current mail address per current dcr.wv.gov/services/offenderservices/Pages/Mail.aspx; verify no photos rule - returned to sender; verify no attachments/enclosures rule; verify Inmate Account vs Friends & Family Account distinction is current per GettingOut; verify JPay for commissary deposits; verify GettingOut customer service 866-516-0115; verify DCR main 304-558-2036; verify Visitor Request Form JVisitForm.pdf is current; verify probation/parole dual-permission visiting rule; verify FCI Hazelton complex and FCI Gilmer current BOP; len()/character check before publish.]