The Virginia State Prison System

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Department of Corrections (VADOC) promotes public safety and helps maintain law and order in society by overseeing the operation of prisons and correctional facilities in the state. VADOC offers re-entry services and care to inmates in its facilities across the state. With over 12,000 employees, 31,000 inmates, and about 50 institutions across the state, VADOC is the state’s largest agency. VADOC not only provides effective incarceration services, but the agency also supervises inmates and provides evidence-based re-entry services to former inmates and persons under parole or probation. In so doing, VADOC aims to improve public safety in the long term.

What Is The Difference Between Jail and Prison in Virginia?

Jails serve as temporary detention centers for persons serving short sentences or who are awaiting trial. For example, persons who commit minor offenses, penalized with imprisonment for no more than 30 days, are held in jails. Also, persons convicted of any misdemeanor class, punishable by jail terms of no longer than 12 months (Va. Code § 18.2–11), serve the term in jail. Compared to prisons, jails serve a smaller population, and therefore, jails are smaller in size and are generally operated by local government agencies, such as county sheriffs and police departments.

On the other hand, the Federal Bureau of Prisons or the state runs prisons in Virginia through its Department of Corrections. Prisons hold more people than jails, and inmates serve longer sentences. Persons sentenced to imprisonment for more than one year, typically for felony crimes or other serious crimes against the state, serve the terms in prison (Va. Code § 18.2–10).

How Many Prisons Are In Virginia?

Virginia has about 40 prisons or correctional facilities:

• Augusta Correctional Center
• Baskerville Correctional Center
• Bland Correctional Center
• Buckingham Correctional Center
• Caroline Correctional Unit
• Central Virginia Correctional Unit #13
• Coffeewood Correctional Center
• Cold Springs Correctional Unit #10
• Deerfield Correctional Center
• Deerfield Men’s Work Center
• Deerfield Men’s Work Center 2
• Dillwyn Correctional Center
• Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women
• Green Rock Correctional Center
• Greensville Correctional Center
• Greensville Work Center
• Halifax Correctional Unit
• Haynesville Correctional Center
• Haynesville Correctional Unit #17
• Indian Creek Correctional Center
• Keen Mountain Correctional Center
• Lawrenceville Correctional Center
• Lunenburg Correctional Center
• Marion Correctional Treatment Center
• Nottoway Correctional Center
• Nottoway Work Center
• Patrick Henry Correctional Unit
• Pocahontas State Correctional Center
• Red Onion State Prison
• River North Correctional Center
• Rustburg Correctional Unit
• St. Brides Correctional Center
• State Farm Correctional Center
• State Farm Enterprise Unit
• State Farm Work Center
• Sussex I State Prison
• Sussex II State Prison
• Virginia Correctional Center for Women
• Wallens Ridge State Prison
• Wise Correctional Unit

How do I search for an Inmate in Virginia State Prison?

VADOC’s Offender Locator provides information about inmates in state prisons to interested parties. The website may contain information about inmates in VADOC facilities. VADOC updates information on the website daily; however, VADOC does not provide specific information about inmates’ sentences. Requesting parties may search the database using:

• Offender ID
• First name
• Last name
• Middle name
• Alias
• Location
• Release date
• Gender
• Age range
• Race

Are Incarceration Records Public in Virginia?

According to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia may freely access public records generated or managed by public agencies in the state, including incarceration records. Although VADOC does not provide specific details about inmate’s sentences, interested persons may request inmate records by submitting a FOIA request to the warden, superintendent, or unit manager in the facility where the inmate is incarcerated. Interested parties may send written requests to VADOC by mail at:

Virginia Department of Corrections
P. O. Box 26963
Richmond, VA 23261
(804) 674–3000

Interested parties may also make FOIA requests for incarceration records by email to FOIA@vadoc.virginia.gov, through the Contact Us page on the VADOC website, or over the phone. As stated in the FOIA Act, requesting parties may request an advance estimation of any charges that apply to the copying, printing, or documentation of the incarceration records in question. Requesting parties do not need to disclose the reason for the records requests or write the requests; however, written requests make search easier by presenting a clear description of However, it is worth noting that, as provided by state laws, the Virginia State Police may not provide copies of juvenile criminal records to members of the public. Interested parties are generally required to complete, sign, notarize, and submit a Criminal Record Name Search form.

the record. VADOC responds to FOIA requests within five (5) working days, excluding holidays and weekends.

Virginia criminal history records are also subject to FOIA, and interested members of the public may access the records. Interested parties may request criminal history records from the Criminal Justice Information Service Division (CJIS) of the Virginia State Police. Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often simplify the search process by aggregating information from various jurisdictions and providing it to record seekers via a single database. Users are generally required to provide the following information to facilitate a search:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state where the person resides or was accused.

Third-party sites operate independently from government sources and are not sponsored by these agencies. Therefore, the accuracy and validity of the information they provide may not be guaranteed.

How to Look Up Jail Records in Virginia?

Jails are under the purview of local government agencies and law enforcement offices. Consequently, interested parties may contact the local government officer, such as the county sheriff or the local law enforcement officers in the facility where the offender is located or where the offender served a sentence, to look up jail records.

Virginia State Police provides access to criminal history information to individuals, private companies, and the general public. Interested parties may obtain criminal history information in Virginia by submitting a completed, and notarized Criminal History Records Check form. Persons interested in requesting arrest and charge records from the Virginia State Police may submit a Criminal History Check form with a fingerprint card.

Can Jail Records be Expunged in Virginia?

In Virginia, expungement seals jail records from public view and access. Virginia state laws (Va. Code § 19.2–392.2) provides for expungement if a person is charged with a crime but was acquitted or if the court dismisses the case. 

Interested parties may file for expungement by filing a petition in the court that first heard the case.