Virginia inmate search

In Virginia, people stay in local and regional jails after an arrest. Minimum standards covering these jails and lockups are set by the State Board of Local and Regional Jails. Some individuals are also housed by the state corrections department in a local or regional jail.

In major areas, city jails are run by elected sheriffs:

• The Norfolk Sheriff's Office runs Norfolk City Jail, where inmates pay a $2.00 daily keep fee.
• The elected Richmond City Sheriff operates the Richmond City Justice Center.
• The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office runs Virginia Beach Correctional Center, where visitation happens by video only.

You can look up custody in local jails through Virginia VINE's statewide roster, or search a sheriff's own lookup page. The details differ from jail to jail.

Use a first name, a last name, or an inmate ID number on the Richmond City Justice Center roster. Updates happen in real time, and the detail view lists the booking date, the charges, the bond amount, the next court date, and a photo.

A booking, permanent, state, or county number, an FBI or ICE number, or a name all work on the Virginia Beach Correctional Center lookup. Released inmates can be included, and current records list charges, the bond details, and a mugshot. Norfolk City Jail shows charges, ID numbers, dates, and booking photos too. If the arrest just happened, call the jail while staff finish the booking steps.

Virginia's state prison system is run by the Virginia Department of Corrections, or VADOC for short. You can find individuals under VADOC custody or supervision with the Virginia Department of Corrections Inmate and Supervisee Locator.

If police arrested your family member tonight, skip this state tool. People stay in local and regional jails right after arrest and before their trial. The state locator covers people placed in state custody or under supervision after their court case. Since VADOC keeps some state inmates in local or regional jails, the state locator may list a sentenced person still held in a local facility.

Local jails are covered by Virginia VINE, a free statewide service. You can go online to see custody status and register for free notifications if someone is transferred or released. If you need help locating an inmate, registering for alerts, or reaching victim services, call the toll-free support line at 1-800-467-4943 any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For inmates in state prison custody, VADOC runs a separate notification system called NAAVI. NAAVI isn't connected to VINE, and you can reach its toll-free phone line at 1-800-560-4292.

Under Virginia Code Title 19.2, Chapter 9, a judicial officer sets the conditions for release. Possible release choices:

• One choice is an unsecured bond: payment is due only if a court date is missed.
• A secured bond backed by solvent sureties or a cash deposit.
• Custody and supervision handled by a designated individual, organization, or pretrial services agency.
• Restrictions can cover travel, association, or residence, plus home electronic incarceration or monitoring by GPS.

Hiring a commercial bail bondsman is an option when you can't pay a secured bond with cash. The fee paid to the bondsman is the premium, and the bond amount is guaranteed to the court by a bail bond. Under Va. For every Virginia court, the Criminal Justice Services Board and Department of Criminal Justice Services license surety and property bondsmen. The statute is § 9.1-185 et seq. On their bonds and on each agent's bonds, property bondsmen must show collateral totaling $200,000.