Indiana Women's Prison
Indiana Women's Prison is a state prison for women that is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has a current population of 2,300 inmates.
The Indiana Women’s Prison is a maximum-security facility which has the distinction of being the oldest and first adult facility for females in the United States. The facility was established on fifteen acres, 1.6 miles from downtown Indianapolis in 1869; the first seventeen offenders arrived in 1873.
For 136 years - until November 21, 2009 - the Indiana Women’s Prison continued to operate at its original site. Indiana Women’s Prison moved from the Randolph Street location to the current site on North Girls’ School Road, the former location of the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility which was named Indiana Girl’s School until 1996.
The Indiana Women’s Prison is unique in many ways. It is a maximum-security facility, which until November 2009, was located entirely within an urban residential neighborhood. The facility houses all the special populations of female offenders in the state. The pregnant, sick, mentally ill, youthful, elderly, and high-profile female offenders are all housed at the Indiana Women’s Prison. The challenges of managing such a diverse population are many, and the methods of treatment and rehabilitation for each population of offenders are customized to meet the needs of that specific population.
The life of this facility is to prepare the ladies to re-enter the community with more skills and confidence than when they arrived here.
Indiana Women’s Prison holds Indiana's only death row for women, but it currently has no death row inmates. The one woman under an Indiana death sentence, Debra Denise Brown, is being held in Ohio.
Prison Insights
Indiana Womens Prison
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Visiting Hours and Rules
The visiting days and hours at Indiana Women’s Prison are as follows:
- Monday 6:30am - 11:00am Approved adults only
11:30am - 5:30am All approved visitors - Tuesday No visitation
- Wednesday 6:30am - 5:30pm All approved visitors
- Thursday 6:30am - 5:30pm Approved adults only
- Friday 6:30am - 5:30pm All approved visitors
- Saturday 6:30am - 5:30pm All approved visitors
- Sunday 6:30am - 12:00pm Approved adults only
12:00pm - 5:30pm All approved visitors
Please review all of this information before scheduling your visit to the Indiana Women's Prison. For the most up-to-date information, please contact the facility at (317) 244-3387 or visit their Facebook page.
Visitors List
If you would like to visit an inmate at Indiana Women's Prison, you must be on their visitors’ list. If you are unsure about your status, please contact the inmate via mail. Do not call the facility for this information. It cannot be given over the phone.
Searches
All visitors entering the facility are subjected to a frisk search by staff which includes the breast and groin area being physically searched.
Additionally, visitors entering visiting areas are subject to additional searches using metal detectors and ion scanning equipment. Specially trained search dogs (K-9s) may be used as a part of the search process both prior to a visitor entering the visiting area and in the actual visiting room during visits.
If a visitor does not wish to be searched either by hand or by using other means, they should not attempt to enter.
Registration
Visitors must register with staff prior to entering the visiting area. You will be required to sign the entry log and be approved for the visit before you are allowed to enter the visiting area.
Everyone 16 years old or older is required to show a picture identification. All visitors must present valid identification each time they visit. The only forms of identification accepted by the DOC are: valid driver’s license from the state of residence, valid state photo identification card from the state of residence, valid photo military identification card (active duty only), or a valid passport.
Children
Visitors under the age of 18 years of age must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian at all times while on facility grounds.
Dress Code
Visitors must wear clothing that poses no threat to the security, custody, or maintenance of order at the facility. The following standards are to be met:
- Undergarments must be worn at all times.
- Shoes must be worn, except for infants who are carried. Spiked heels or shoes with a heel longer than three inches shall not be worn.
- Tight fitting pants or leggings (yoga, stirrup or Lycra) shall not be worn.
- Dresses, skirts, or shorts must be no shorter than two inches above the knee and shall not have deep slits.
- Halter or tank tops, tube tops, sheer, see-through, or low-cut clothing is not permitted.
- All visitors must wear a shirt/blouse with sleeves.
- No jewelry, except a wedding band or set, may be worn in the visitation area.
- Hats or other head coverings are not permitted, except as required by religious beliefs.
- Heavy winter coats or sweaters are NOT allowed in visiting room; however, suit coats, sport coats, nylon windbreakers (without hoods) ARE allowed in the visiting area.
- Tops, jackets, and hooded jackets with a “kangaroo” pocket shall not be worn.
- No sandals or flip flops will be authorized in the visiting area.
- Clothing shall not be worn out, torn (holes), or frayed.
- No personal wheelchairs will be allowed beyond the Information Desk. The facility will supply a wheelchair during the visit.
What you can and can’t bring to a visit
You are not allowed to bring anything into the Indiana Women’s Prison without the Superintendent’s consent. Only bring your car keys, photo ID, and up to $20 in coins for use at the vending machines.
Visitors with infants may not carry anything extra into the visiting area except one clear, plastic baby bottle and/or pacifier, one small blanket, and one diaper.
Video Visitation
Video visitation is a great way to connect with your loved one over the internet, without having to worry about unpredictable crowds and overly busy visitation hours.
Visits can be scheduled and paid for in advance, allowing you to visit with inmates at times that are convenient for you. For more information on video visitation, please visit the GTL website.
Physical Address
Indiana Women's Prison
2596 Girl’s School Road
Indianapolis, IN 46214
Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/hT9em9WxBbV2JnXK7
General Phone Number
(317)-244-3387
Inmate Mailing Address(es)
Inmate Name and DOC Number
Indiana Women's Prison
2596 Girl’s School Road
Indianapolis, IN 46214
To write to an offender at Indiana Women's Prison, you need to have their full name and DOC number. You can look up an offender's DOC number on the IDOC website by clicking here.
All incoming and outgoing mail is opened, examined, and read by designated facility staff.
Inmates may receive correspondence, legal mail, and publications from publishers only, which are reviewed to determine whether they are obscene or constitute a danger to safety and security.
Emails can be sent to an inmate through the GTL Network.How to Call an Inmate
Inmates at the Indiana Women's Prison can’t receive incoming calls. However, they do have access to a phone during assigned times, and they can call you. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Indiana, please click here.
How to Send Money
Money orders must be sent with the lockbox deposit slip and must be complete with the inmate name, IDOC inmate number, sender’s name, and address.
You can find deposit slips by clicking here and selecting the JPay option. The money orders should be sent with a deposit slip, be made payable to JPay, and sent to the following address:
JPay
PO Box 531399,
Wabash Valley Shores, FL 33153
Programs For Inmates
The Indiana Department of Correction offers a wide selection of programming, courses, and activities based on both facility and offender need, as well as available resources. Listed below are a few of the current programming opportunities available at Indiana Women’s Prison.
- Wee Ones Nursery
- The Last Mile
- USDOL Apprenticeship
- Prenatal Education
- Parenting Education
- Vocational Training
- Substance Abuse
- NA/AA/CA/ALANON
- Family Preservation Summer Camp
- Children Center Visitation
- Thinking for a Change
- PLUS
- Anger Management
- Healing from Domestic Abuse
- ICAN
- Sheltered Workshop
- Community Outreach
- IN2Work
- Mental Health Program
- Oakland City University: Cosmetology, Culinary, Business Technology
Wee Ones Nursery for the Pregnant Offender Population
In March 2008, the Indiana Women’s Prison implemented the Wee Ones Nursery (W.O.N.), a voluntary program available for pregnant offenders who met eligibility criteria. The intent of the W.O.N. program is to provide parenting education and to ensure quality time to strengthen the mother-infant bond during the initial months after the infant’s birth. The W.O.N. program is modeled after a similar program in Ohio.
Mothers and their babies have private rooms in one housing unit. A small cadre of trained nannies from the offender population also live on the housing unit, and assist the mothers in caring for their infants while the mothers attend classes, counseling appointments, and/or similar obligations. The program also included ongoing training of the mothers in child development and attachment.
W.O.N. Criteria
- Offender is pregnant at the time she is delivered into the custody of the Department of Correction
- Offenders earliest possible release date is not more than eighteen months after the projected delivery date
- Offender must have a conduct history free of any Class A findings of guilt for the past 12 months and free of any Class B findings of guilt for the past 6 months
- Offender has never been convicted of a violent crime or any type of child abuse or child endangerment determined by the pediatrician
- Offender and her child must meet established medical and mental health criteria determined by the Pediatrician
- Offender has at least an eighth grade reading level
- Offender is legal custodian of the child; no one else has been granted custody or shared parenting privileges
- Offender must be willing to sign a covenant agreeing to abide by all the rules of the W.O.N. program and indicating she will participate fully in the program
Offender's nanny guidelines are:
- The nanny must have a conduct history free of any Class A findings of guilt for the past 12 months and free of any Class B findings of guilt for the past 6 months.
- The inmate has never been convicted of a violent crime or any type of child abuse or child endangerment determined by the pediatrician
- The inmate has successfully completed a DOC parenting class
- The inmate has at least an eighth grade reading level
- The inmate must be willing to sign a covenant agreeing to abide by all the rules of the W.O.N. program and indicating she will participate fully in the program
Additional Programs Offered to W.O.N. Participates:
Family Healing
The focus of learning will be divided among themes of understanding family system patterns and how individuals are a part of them, the importance of family history, and family communication patterns.
Healthy Starts
This group will offer education and support to women who are pregnant or mothers of children under age two. Focus is on building self-esteem, guidelines for healthy relationships, and connecting with community resources.
Clarian Health Network
This group provides one-on-one assistance with mothers and their infants, focusing on child development, feeding issues, safe sleeping practices, appropriate discipline, family strengths and supports, and stress management.
Riley Development Center
This group offers regular and ongoing training on child development.
Pictures of Indiana Women's Prison
Careers at Indiana Women's Prison
If you are interested in a career with the Indiana Department of Corrections at the Indiana Women's Prison, you can click here for more information.
