Women, minimum to maximum custody · Correctional Center · WV DCR

Lakin Correctional Center

West Columbia, Mason County, West Virginia

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (304) 674-2440 Info last verified: June 2026

West Virginia's only women's prison, in West Columbia on the Ohio River near Point Pleasant, holding women at all custody levels from minimum to maximum.

Statewide rules that apply at every West Virginia state prison

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

Dress code

West Virginia does not ban any clothing color for visitors, but dress must be modest: female visitors must wear a bra (underwire is not allowed because it will not clear the metal detector), and male visitors must wear a shirt.
No shorts, sleeveless tops, or tight, sheer, see-through, low-cut, or midriff-baring clothing, and no hats or head coverings.
No steel- or composite-toe shoes; jewelry is limited to a wedding ring (no watches), and anything with metal or metallic beads may not clear the detector.
Undergarments are required, and the shift commander has the final say on whether an outfit is appropriate.

ID: Every visitor must be on the inmate's approved list first — the inmate mails the visitor an Application to Visit, which is approved after a background check; an inmate may have up to six approved adult visitors. Each adult brings a government-issued photo ID (driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID — not a Social Security or printable card). A minor needs a birth certificate and, if not with a parent or guardian, a notarized Juvenile Visitation Form.
What to bring: Almost nothing comes into the visit room — no phones, purses, bags, or tobacco; secure them in your vehicle or a lobby locker. There is no visitor vending and no food or drink in the visiting area. A parent may bring limited baby items (one clear bottle, a few diapers, a carrier).
Scheduling: At the state prisons, visits are on Saturdays and Sundays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and the incarcerated person schedules them in advance — there is no walk-in visiting and no public online booking, so confirm the facility's specific times. Prison visits are contact visits; the regional jails, by contrast, are non-contact.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in West Virginia

Overview

Lakin Correctional Center, in West Columbia on the Ohio River, is West Virginia’s only women’s prison, holding women at all custody levels from minimum to maximum. Because it is the state’s sole women’s facility, every woman sentenced to state prison is held here. It opened in 2003, and its programs include adult education and high-school equivalency, culinary arts, horticulture and landscaping, and an on-site garment and sewing operation. It also operates a KIDS Unit (Keeping Infant Development Successful), a prison-nursery program in which a baby born to a woman while she is incarcerated can stay with her at the facility for up to about 18 months. West Virginia has no death penalty, so there is no death row.

What Makes Lakin Different

It is the only women’s prison in West Virginia, holding women at every custody level.
It is on the Ohio River near Point Pleasant, in the far western part of the state close to the Ohio line.
It offers vocational programs including culinary arts, horticulture, and a garment factory.
It runs a prison nursery (the KIDS Unit), where an infant born to a woman during her incarceration can remain with her for up to about 18 months.
It sits on historic ground — see the note below.

Visiting

The statewide WV DCR rules above — the approved list, the dress code, ID, and search rules — apply at Lakin.

The full approval process is in Visiting in West Virginia.

Getting There and Parking

The prison is on Ohio River Road (Route 62) in West Columbia, north of Point Pleasant.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. Visitor parking is on site.

Nearby Services

Point Pleasant has the nearest food, gas, and lodging, with more across the Ohio River in Gallipolis, Ohio. The nearest 24/7 emergency room is Pleasant Valley Hospital in Point Pleasant, about 6 miles south.

Mail

Personal mail does not go to the prison. Since 2023, West Virginia routes personal letters to an off-site scanning center in Maryland, addressed with the person’s name and OID number; the person receives the mail as images on a tablet, and photos must be sent through the tablet rather than mailed. Legal mail, books, and magazines go to the facility. Full addressing details are in Mail & Packages.

A Note on History

The prison opened in 2003 on land that was once part of the Lakin State Hospital, a state hospital established in 1926 to serve African American patients during the era of racial segregation and notably staffed by Black professionals. A separate long-term-care state hospital still operates near the prison. This history is documented in the sources cited above.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a West Virginia state prison:

Visiting in West Virginia — the approved list, dress code, and scheduling
Mail & Packages — the Maryland scanning address and the OID number
Phone & Video Calls — ViaPath/GettingOut calls, messaging, and video
Sending Money — ConnectNetwork and the trustee account
Medical & Mental Health — co-pays and how to raise a concern
Transfers & Finding Someone — prison vs. regional jail and the split locator

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.