Medium custody (men), with infirmary, mental-health, and close-custody units · State Correctional Facility · VTDOC

Southern State Correctional Facility

Springfield, Windsor County, Vermont

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (802) 909-2601 Info last verified: June 2026

Vermont's newest facility and its medical hub, in Springfield off I-91 — specialized units for elderly, chronically ill, and mental-health care, with two-hour weekend visits by unit.

Statewide rules that apply at every Vermont facility

These rules are set by VTDOC and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Vermont.

Dress code

No clothing with holes, rips, or torn pockets; nothing resembling a uniform; no sweat suits, hats, headbands, or hoods.
Nothing see-through, tight-fitting, low-cut, midriff-baring, or tank/halter/tube style.
No skirts, dresses, or shorts with slits reaching two inches or more above the knee; no metal hair ornaments.
Staff judgment is final; children 10 and under get a partial exception at staff discretion.

ID: A government-issued photo ID whose name and address match the visiting list. Children can use any government-issued photo ID, a Social Security card, or a birth certificate.
What to bring: Nothing comes into the visiting room except bottles, pacifiers, or sippy cups for children 2 and under — lockers hold everything else, and tobacco stays in the vehicle.
Scheduling: The incarcerated person submits the visitor list (up to 10 names, changeable every 90 days). Visits are walk-in during the posted block for their housing unit (alphabetical by last name at two facilities) — one visit a week, up to two hours — and arrivals in the last 30 minutes of a period are not processed.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Vermont

Overview

Southern State opened in 2003 as Vermont’s newest facility, a 27-acre campus that has become the system’s medical and specialized-care hub: an infirmary with x-ray, dental, and optometry services, a housing unit for elderly and chronically ill men, secure and transitional mental-health units, the state’s largest close-custody unit, and the Vermont Treatment Program for Sexual Aggressors. It also serves as the regional jail for Orange, Windham, Windsor, and parts of Bennington County, so its roughly 370 men mix pretrial detainees with sentenced men whose medical or program needs brought them here.

For families, the medical role means two things: a person can land here from anywhere in Vermont when their health requires it, and the infirmary has its own visiting block — Saturday late morning — so hospitalization inside the system doesn’t cut off visits.

What Makes Southern State Different

The medical hub: if someone’s care needs escalate — age, chronic illness, serious mental health needs — Southern State is usually where the system sends them, whatever their home region.
The infirmary has its own posted visiting block (Saturday 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.) — a regular, published window for visiting someone in medical care.
Two-hour blocks by unit spread across both weekend days, the fullest schedule in Vermont — but the Alpha unit’s visits happen only on request, arranged through the facility.
The easiest Vermont facility to reach from the south: a mile from I-91’s Exit 7, with verified lodging (a Best Western) one road mile from the gate — though it’s two and a half hours from Burlington.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

The statewide rules above — the 10-name list, dress code, ID, and screening — apply at Southern State. What follows is specific to this facility.

The schedule carries no posted date, and how to request an Alpha or off-schedule infirmary visit isn’t published — (802) 909-2601 is the number to ask. Video visits run through ICSolutions at a published 16 cents per minute; the full approval and entry rules are in Visiting in Vermont.

Getting There and Parking

Southern State is on Charlestown Road, about a mile from I-91’s Exit 7 and four miles from downtown Springfield.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. DOC publishes no visitor parking guidance.

Nearby Services

The Best Western Springfield sits one road mile from the facility on Charlestown Road, with Dunkin’ locations and services in Springfield town. Springfield Hospital at 25 Ridgewood Road provides 24/7 emergency services — (802) 885-2151.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Vermont facility:

Visiting in Vermont — the 10-name list, the no-contact rule, and entry
Mail & Packages — original-mail delivery and addressing
Phone & Video Calls — rates, free weekly calls, and the carrier-blocking fix
Sending Money — the free mail-in deposit option
Medical & Mental Health — statutory rights, and why medical needs bring people here
Transfers — placement, the 30-day list rule, and the Mississippi facility

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.