Sending Money in Virginia (VADOC)

How the Account Works

Money for a person in VADOC custody is held in a trust account. By state law, 10% of any money a person receives — from any source — goes into a personal trust account (a savings account) until that account reaches $1,000; once it does, further deposits go to the spending account used for the commissary. The savings portion is returned to the person on release. (People sentenced to death — a sentence Virginia no longer imposes — life without parole, or terms making them ineligible for release are exempt from the savings requirement.)

Depositing Through JPay

VADOC’s deposit vendor is JPay. Every deposit needs the person’s seven-digit DOC number. The channels:

• Online at jpay.com or the JPay app, by credit or debit card
• By phone at 1-800-574-5729
• Cash at any MoneyGram agent, such as Walmart or CVS
• By money order, made payable to JPay, with the person’s name and DOC number, mailed to JPay, P.O. Box 278170, Miramar, FL 33027 — processed within about three business days

Fees vary by amount and method — roughly $3 to $11 per deposit — and the current table is on VADOC’s Sending Money page; confirm it there, since fees change. Do not mail cash, checks, or money orders to a prison or to VADOC headquarters — they are rejected; money goes only through JPay.

What Comes Out of a Deposit

If a person owes court fines, costs, or restitution, a percentage of money deposited may be applied to those debts before the rest reaches the spending account. Virginia does not charge a medical co-pay (see Medical & Mental Health), so nothing is deducted for sick-call visits.

Commissary and Packages

A person shops for snacks, hygiene items, and other approved goods through the commissary, buying against their spending account; weekly spending limits vary by security level, so the facility is the source for the current limit. Virginia does not run a family care-package program — there is no approved vendor to send food or hygiene packages to a general-population prison. Because there is no care-package program, families add funds by depositing money for the person to spend at the commissary.

Confirming a Deposit

An online or phone deposit shows in the JPay account’s transaction history; a mailed money order posts in about three business days. Because VADOC is updating its commissary and tablet systems, confirm the current deposit channels and any fee on the Sending Money page before a first deposit.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Sending Money.