Mail, photos, messaging, and phone/call options for staying in touch.
Staying in touch with someone at Richmond Jail Detention means using third-party services for phone calls, scheduled video visits, and tablet messaging or photos. The exact options depend on which vendor the facility approves. Before trying anything, confirm the vendor, create a friends and family or visitor account, complete identity verification, and add funds or schedule visits as needed. Video visits may be available from home or through visitor kiosks. Tablets may support messages and photos, sometimes with paid features. For billing or technical issues, contact the vendor directly. Jail staff typically can't fix vendor account problems. Some vendors (like AdvancePay) send account-expiration reminders. Security note: Telmate experienced a data breach in August 2020 that exposed personal information of thousands of users.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
Trying to reach someone at Richmond Jail Detention? First, separate routine questions from urgent safety concerns. If you need to report a crime in Richmond, there are specific channels to use.
Getting help from the City of Richmond starts with picking the right channel. Call 911 for emergencies, contact Emergency Communications for non-emergency crime reports, and use RVA311 for routine service requests.
Yes. Telmate experienced a data breach in August 2020 that exposed personal information of thousands of users.
Contact the vendor that provides the service directly. Facility staff are not the vendor and typically cannot resolve vendor billing or technical issues.
Start by confirming which communication services and vendor the facility uses. Then create an approved friends and family or visitor account, complete identity verification, and add funds or schedule visits as required.
If you keep money in an AdvancePay account, the biggest risk is letting it sit unused. Here's how the 180-day inactivity rule works, how to get a reminder before your balance expires, and how to request a refund.
AdvancePay (through ConnectNetwork/ViaPath) is a prepaid calling account families use to pay for phone calls. Here's what you'll learn: how to keep your balance from being forfeited after 180 days of inactivity, how to set up text or email reminders so you don't miss the deadline, and how to request a refund by phone if you'd rather cash out. There's also a quick section on the 2020 Telmate/ViaPath data breach if you're concerned about privacy.
If you added money to a ConnectNetwork AdvancePay account for someone in Richmond-area custody and no longer need it, you can likely get the remaining balance refunded. This guide covers the one step that matters most: calling the phone provider (ViaPath/ConnectNetwork) to request your refund and confirming exactly what they need to process it.
