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If Bad Weather Hits or a Housing Unit Is Closed: How Indiana Creek Visitors Can Check If Your Visit Is On

Before you drive to Indiana Creek Correctional Center, take a minute to check if visitation is running. Weather cancellations and housing-unit shutdowns can look the same from the outside—but they affect visits differently.

• 3 min read • vadoc.virginia.gov
If Bad Weather Hits or a Housing Unit Is Closed: How Indiana Creek Visitors Can Check If Your Visit Is On

When the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) issues a statewide inclement-weather cancellation, Indiana Creek's in-person visitation shuts down along with every other state facility. Here's the key detail: these weather cancellations stop in-person visits, but video visitation usually keeps running. You may still be able to see your loved one without making the trip.

Note: Visitation procedures can change, even on short notice. Check the current status and confirm with the facility before you leave home.

Weather isn't the only reason visits get canceled. Indiana Creek can also have facility-level or housing-unit suspensions - situations where a specific pod, building, or unit goes on restriction for a set period or "until further notice." When this happens, all visitation can be canceled for that area, including both in-person and video. That's why two people visiting the same day can get completely different answers depending on where their loved one is housed.

Tip: If you've heard "a unit is closed," ask whether it applies to your loved one's housing area. Also ask if the suspension includes video visits or just in-person.

If Bad Weather Hits or a Housing Unit Is Closed: How Indiana Creek Visitors Can Check If Your Visit Is On
  1. Look for statewide inclement-weather notices first - If VADOC has announced a statewide weather cancellation, assume in-person visitation at Indiana Creek is off for the affected dates.
  2. Check for facility-specific updates next - Even when there’s no statewide closure, Indiana Creek’s visitation procedures and schedules can vary and can change at any time.
  3. Confirm what’s happening with video visitation - During statewide weather cancellations, video visitation is expected to continue, so verify whether your video visit can still go forward before you travel.
  • ✓ Ask whether Indiana Creek is canceling visitation facility-wide today (and for what dates)
  • ✓ Ask whether your loved one’s housing unit/building/pod is under a suspension
  • ✓ Confirm whether the suspension cancels both in-person and video visitation
  • ✓ Ask how long the cancellation is expected to last (a set period vs. “until further notice”)

Reminder: Don’t assume “visitation is canceled” means everything is canceled. During statewide inclement-weather cancellations, in-person visits stop while at-home video visitation may still be available.

If your in-person visit gets canceled due to a statewide weather notice, video visitation can save you a wasted trip. VADOC offers at-home video visits - you can connect from a computer, tablet, or Android smartphone. Don't have the right setup at home, or don't qualify for at-home video? VADOC also partners with Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI) to offer video visits at certain visitor centers.

  • ✓ If in-person visitation is canceled statewide, plan to use video visitation instead of traveling
  • ✓ For at-home video visits, make sure you have a computer, tablet, or Android smartphone available
  • ✓ If at-home video isn’t an option for you, ask about using video visitation through an AFOI visitor center

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