How to send messages, photos, and packages
Cold Springs Corrections Unit offers two video-visitation options: at-home visits and visits at AFOI visitor centers. At-home visits work from a computer, tablet, or Android smartphone—though scheduling through the ViaPath website on a laptop or desktop is recommended since the mobile app has known issues. Visitors 18 and over must register using their legal name and present a valid government-issued photo ID. Log into the GTL system 15 minutes before your home visit; for AFOI visits, arrive at least 20 minutes early. Up to five people (including children) can join a video visit, but minors need a responsible adult guardian present. Recording or screenshots aren't allowed, and the visit ends if the inmate needs the restroom. For AFOI visits, mail signed forms and the required fee to AFOI in Richmond. Phone calls work differently: inmates can keep up to 15 approved numbers, and calls are monitored and recorded when the inmate activates their PIN. Expect roughly 20-minute call limits, with additional restrictions based on housing or status.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
Schedule at-home video visits through the ViaPath website. Use a laptop or desktop when possible—the mobile app has known issues. Visits work from a computer, tablet, or Android smartphone. Visitors 18+ must register under their legal name with a valid government-issued photo ID, and you should be logged into the GTL system 15 minutes before your visit starts.
To use the AFOI visitor-center video visitation, mail a signed Video Visiting List, a signed Video Visitation Rules form, and the required fee to AFOI at the Richmond address provided by VADOC. Arrive at least 20 minutes before your scheduled visit time.
Yes—calls are monitored and recorded when an inmate activates their PIN and uses the telephone system, which is treated as consent. Inmates can keep up to 15 approved numbers, and calls are generally limited to about 20 minutes, with additional limits based on housing or status.
If your loved one is at Cold Springs Corrections Unit, you've got two prepaid options for phone calls: an AdvancePay account you control, or a PIN Debit account the inmate uses. Both run through ConnectNetwork (Global Tel*Link). Once you understand the difference, setup is easy.
At Cold Springs and other VADOC facilities, phone monitoring is the default. When your loved one activates their PIN and uses the inmate telephone system, they're agreeing that calls can be monitored and recorded. The exception? Verified attorney calls—but only after the attorney number goes through the proper verification process.
Your loved one at Cold Springs Corrections Unit says they "added your number," but calls still aren't coming through. The missing piece is usually automated consent. Here's how the *44 system works, what happens on their end, and what you need to do to get activated faster.
