Transfers & Finding Someone in Virginia (VADOC)

State Prison or Local Jail

Virginia divides custody by sentence length. Under state law, a felony sentence of one year or more (for a crime committed on or after January 1, 1995) makes a person “state-responsible” — in the custody of the Department of Corrections — while a sentence of less than 12 months, and almost all detention before trial, is “local-responsible” and served in a local or regional jail run by a sheriff or jail authority.

The wrinkle for families is that state-responsible does not guarantee a state prison. Because of bed space and contracts, Virginia holds many state-responsible people in local and regional jails, sometimes for a whole sentence — and a jail sets its own visiting, mail, phone, and money rules, different from VADOC’s and from one jail to the next.

Intake and Classification

A person entering state custody is received from a jail into a reception center for intake — assessments, criminal-history and medical review, and a security-level classification that determines where they are held. Women’s intake is at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Troy. VADOC uses a numeric security-level system, and a person generally moves toward lower security over time as their classification is reviewed.

Finding Someone

To find where a person is held in state custody, use the VADOC Inmate & Supervisee Locator, a free public tool updated daily. It covers people in VADOC prisons, on community supervision, and — importantly — state-responsible people housed in a local or regional jail under VADOC authority. Search by name or DOC number. VADOC notes the data can be incomplete or out of date, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the facility.

If a person does not appear, they are most likely local-responsible — a short sentence or awaiting trial — in which case the city or county jail is the place to check, directly or through Virginia’s VINELink. VADOC releases information about a person only as shown on the locator unless the person has authorized more.

Parole and Release

Virginia abolished parole for felonies committed on or after January 1, 1995, replacing it with truth-in-sentencing under which a person earns limited credit and serves at least about 85% of the sentence. Narrow categories remain parole-eligible: crimes committed before 1995 (“old law”), certain people sentenced for offenses committed as juveniles (after serving at least 20 years), and geriatric conditional release for older people who petition. The Virginia Parole Board decides these cases. Because most people in VADOC custody today are not parole-eligible, release usually turns on the sentence and earned credit rather than a parole decision.

Transfers

Transfers between Virginia facilities are routine as a person’s security level or program needs change. A move can also follow a disciplinary or medical reason. Families generally learn of a transfer after it happens; the locator reflects the current facility once records update.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Know Your Rights.