How to Set Up Your Loved One’s Phone PIN at Red Onion State Prison
Calls from Red Onion State Prison rely on two numbers: your loved one's four-digit phone PIN and their 7-digit DOC ID. Understanding what each one does makes getting calls started—or troubleshooting problems—much simpler.
Your loved one uses their four-digit PIN plus their DOC ID number to access the phones at Red Onion State Prison. That DOC ID matters on your end too - if you're adding money through a PIN Debit Account or AdvancePay, you'll need their 7-digit state ID number to deposit funds to the right account.
Reminder: To deposit to an inmate’s PIN Debit Account or AdvancePay, you’ll need their 7-digit state ID (DOC ID).
Here's the good news: you're usually not starting from scratch. VADOC automatically enrolls inmates in the phone system when they arrive, so basic phone access is typically already set up.
The default PIN is simple: it's the inmate's month and day of birth in MMDD format. So if someone was born on March 15th, their starting PIN would be 0315.
Tip: Since the default PIN is based on a birthdate (MMDD), double-check you have the correct 7-digit DOC ID before funding any phone account.
If your loved one's PIN isn't working, they can report the problem directly to the phone vendor from inside the facility. They dial #21 on the facility phone to reach the vendor hotline.
Lost or compromised PINs get replaced through the vendor. VADOC handles this through the GTL Viapath Hotline Response 440_F12 process, which issues a new secured PIN.
Note: PIN problems and secured-PIN replacements are handled through the vendor hotline your loved one accesses from inside the facility (dialing #21).
Families Actions
- ✓ Get your loved one’s 7-digit DOC ID (state ID) and keep it handy for any phone funding.
- ✓ Confirm the four-digit PIN with your loved one (the default is MMDD).
- ✓ Set up your own funding account through the vendor’s system using the correct 7-digit DOC ID so deposits go to the right person.
You can't trigger a PIN replacement from the outside. Under VADOC procedure, the inmate reports PIN problems by dialing #21 on the facility phone, and the vendor issues any replacement through that hotline process.
Since inmates are enrolled automatically when they enter DOC custody, most families don't need to activate anything at Red Onion. Your job is usually twofold: make sure you have the correct 7-digit DOC ID for funding, and coordinate with your loved one if their PIN needs fixing through the vendor hotline.
These PIN and phone procedures are VADOC rules that apply across VADOC facilities, including Red Onion State Prison. If someone is under VADOC responsibility but housed in a local jail, they follow that jail's phone rules instead.
Note: If your loved one isn’t physically at a VADOC prison (for example, they’re in a local jail), use that facility’s phone procedures.
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