Valdosta State Prison
Valdosta State Prison is a close-security facility for adult male inmates managed by the Georgia Department of Corrections. The Annex is a medium-security facility. Both prisons are located in Valdosta, Georgia and together, they can house up to 1,312 inmates.
Valdosta State Prison is a Tier I & II facility. The Tier Segregation System was implemented in August 2013 in order to create a managed and measured stratification-oriented pathway for offenders to successfully transition from Administrative Segregation to lower-security levels.
The mission of Valdosta State Prison is to protect the public by maintaining custody of close security offenders while providing academic and vocational education, mental health and mental retardation services, and specialized evidence-based counseling programs.
The Annex protects the public by maintaining custody of medium and minimum security offenders while providing outside work details to the community.
The Georgia Correctional Industries chemical plant, located on the grounds of the Annex, manufactures cleaning supplies for prisons throughout the Department.
Valdosta State Prison consists of 10 General Population units with 500 beds, six Mental Health units with 264 beds, 25 Isolation beds plus 12 Acute Care Unit beds and four Crisis Stabilization Unit beds.
The Annex contains 554 General Population beds. Of those beds, 100 are designated as Residential Substance Abuse Center beds. This facility also houses a Special Management Unit (SMU), a C.E.R.T. Team, Tactical Squad, and a Canine Unit.
Prison Insights
Valdosta State Prison
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Visiting Hours and Rules
Valdosta State Prison visiting hours for the general population are on Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Tier Visitation Hours are on Mondays and Wednesdays, excluding State Holidays from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, and you must schedule Tier visits at least 24 hours in advance.
You must fill out an application and be approved by the Georgia Department of Corrections before you can visit an inmate at Valdosta State Prison. For complete details about the visiting process, click here.
The only items you can bring to a visit are:
- an identification card (All visitors, age 16 and over, must have a photo ID)
- car keys
- a maximum of twenty dollars ($20.00) in coins to be used for the vending machines
Valdosta State Prison does not allow visitors to bring in outside food and beverages into the visiting roomㄧother than bottled formula or store-bought products for babies. Phones or electronic devices of any kind are prohibited in the visiting area.
You will be searched by electronic surveillance instruments (metal detectors, etc.) when you arrive, and anything you bring into the facility will be searched by officers assigned to the visitation area.
Visitors must wear appropriate clothing, and shoes are required at all timesㄧincluding children if they are able to walk or stand.
Male visitors are required to wear shirts and full-length trousers. Females may wear trousers, or if a female visitor wears a dress, skirt, or other similar garment, it may NOT be more than two (2) inches above the knees. Furthermore, all female visitors must wear undergarments such as bras, panties, and slips.
Inappropriate clothing includes, but is not limited to:
- Dresses or tops with thin straps which expose shoulders or chest area in any manner
- Tube tops or halters of any type
- Any type of clothing which reveals the stomach or midriff area
- Any type of clothing that is made of sheer or transparent material
- Shorts of any kind or any kind of slacks that are above the knee (twelve years old and under may wear shorts)
- Male visitors are not permitted to wear tank tops or short tops of any kind, nor see-through tops made of net or mesh webbing.
- Shorts are not permitted (children twelve 12 years old and under may wear shorts)
- Any other type of clothing that is suggestive or revealing in any way is prohibited.
Video Visits
Valdosta State Prison does offer video visits through JPay. You must have a JPay account, and the video visit can last up to 30 minutes. The fee for a 30-minute video visit is $3.95.
Physical Address
Valdosta State Prison
3259 Valtech Road
Valdosta, GA 31603
Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/xYh2njU65oiqE3Xp9
General Phone Number
229-333-7900
Inmate Mailing Address(es)
Inmate Name and DOC Number
Valdosta State Prison
P.O. Box 5368
Valdosta, GA 31603
All inmate mail is monitored by prison staff. It’s best to keep things simple with regular paper, a regular envelope, and pics of family and friends. They won’t allow any mail with stickers or glitter, greeting cards with music, or inappropriate pics.
In addition to regular mail, you can send a package to an inmate through the Georgia Inmate Package Program. However, your own homemade packages are not allowed.
With a JPay account, you can also send and receive videograms and emails, which cost between one and three stamps each.
How to Call an Inmate
You can’t call an inmate at Valdosta State Prison, but they do have access to phones during approved hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Georgia, please click here.
How to Send Money
You must use JPay or MoneyGram to send money to an inmate at Valdosta State Prison. The fees for this service vary based on which method you use and the amount of money you are sending.
JPay Options
- Online or Mobile App: To send an inmate money with your credit or debit card, visit JPay.com or download the JPay Mobile App that is available at the Apple App Store (for iPhones) and Google Play (for Android phones).
- By phone: Call (800) 574-5729 to talk with a live JPay call center agent and send money with a debit or credit card.
- Mail a money orderㅡmade payable to JPayㅡwith a deposit slip to:
JPay
P.O. Box 260010
Hollywood, FL 33026
A money order deposit slip is available here.
Moneygram
If you would like to use cash or check instead of a debit or credit card, visit a MoneyGram location in person and use receive code 6857. MoneyGram locations include all Walmarts and CVS Pharmacies.
Programs For Inmates
- Academic: General Education Diploma, Adult Basic Education, Literacy Remedial and Special Education, Monthly Correspondence Course Work
- Substance Abuse: Substance Abuse Ed., Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, Residential Substance Abuse Center, Matrix Early Recovery, Matrix Relapse Prevention
- Counseling: Motivation for Change, Re-Entry, Family Violence, Moral Reconation Therapy, Health Awareness, Thinking for a Change, Victim Impact, Lifers Group, Sex Offender Psycho-Educational Program (SOPP), Career Center in Media Center
- Recreation: General Recreation, Intramural Sports
- Religious Activities: Various Worship Services, Bible Study, Spiritual Enlightenment, Faith & Character Based Program, KAIROS, Gospel Choir
- Vocational/OJT: Barbering, Custodial Maintenance, Dorm Orderlies, Laundry & Warehouse Orderlies, Food Service, General Office Clerk, Paint Detail
WORK DETAILS:
Valdosta State Prison and Annex inside details: Orderlies, Grounds Maintenance, Horticulture, Laundry, Food Service, Trash, Aides, Barbers, and Maintenance.
The Annex provides the following outside details: Correctional Industries, Department of Transportation, City of Valdosta, Lowndes County, Valdosta State Prison, Department of Transportation (Weigh Station), City of Adel and Maintenance (Outside Institution).
Pictures of Valdosta State Prison
Careers at Valdosta State Prison
Valdosta State Prison is located 16 miles from the Florida border, and the Mission of the facility is to protect the public by maintaining custody of Close security offenders while providing academic and vocational education, mental health/mental retardation services and specialized evidence based counseling programs.
The Annex protects the public by maintaining custody of Medium and Minimum security offenders while providing outside work details to the community. The Georgia Correctional Industries Chemical Plant, located on the grounds of the Annex, manufactures cleaning supplies for prisons throughout the Department of Corrections.
Valdosta State Prison was named the Nation’s Best Prison in 1993.
"Working with the Georgia Department of Corrections at Valdosta State Prison is challenging at times, but the job security and the chances for advancement are excellent,” says an employee.
If you are interested in a job at Valdosta State Prison, click here.
