Buckingham Correctional Center
Buckingham Correctional Center is a close custody prison for male inmates that is located in Dillwyn, Virginia. This facility can house a maximum of 1,100 inmates and is managed by the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Prison Insights
Buckingham Correctional Center
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Visiting Hours and Rules
Visiting hours at Buckingham Correctional Center are on Saturdays and Sundays. The visiting schedule rotates based on the first letter of the inmate's last name. Contact Buckingham Correctional Center directly for the current visiting schedule.
Each offender will be permitted a minimum of one hour and a maximum of four hours per visiting day with visitors on those days designated for that offender to visit.
Applying for Visitation
You must submit an application and get approval from the Virginia Department of Corrections before visiting an inmate at Buckingham Correctional Center. You can submit a visitation application online.
Minors visitors must have their application attached to an adult application. Complete the online visitation application and then follow the prompts to add a minor. If needed, you can add more than one minor to your application.
If you are not the minor's parent or legal guardian, permission must be documented on a Notarized Statement – Minor Visitor form.
Visitors will receive an email informing them when they are approved to visit or explaining the reason(s) for disapproval.
What to Bring to a Visit
One form of valid picture identification that matches the information on your application is required to enter the visiting room. Acceptable forms of ID include:
- Driver’s License
- Passport
- Military ID
- Other official picture ID issued by a federal or state agency
Visitors will not take any items into the visiting area except the following:
- Their visitor's pass
- A maximum of $20.00 in coins (no paper money) per adult visitor
- Personal vehicle key only (“keyless” keys are not authorized)
- DOC locker key (if applicable)
- Essential items for infant feeding to include one nursing cover for breastfeeding
All other property should be locked in the visitor's vehicle or a locker in a secure area.
Visitors are not allowed to bring property, packages, food, cash money, checks, money orders, lottery tickets, negotiable items, or any other item through visitation. Visitors who attempt to give such items to offenders will have their visit terminated and may lose their visiting privileges.
All visitors are subject to search by electronic scanning and detection devices, pat-down frisk searches, and contraband detection canines.
Dress Code
Everyone, including children, must follow the dress code when visiting an inmate at Buckingham Correctional Center.
- Clothing must cover from the neck to the kneecaps.
- All visitors must wear underwear and foot wear. No bare feet are allowed.
- Watches and all wearable technology devices (i.e. google glasses) are prohibited.
- Clothing that resembles offender clothing other than denim is prohibited.
- The following types of clothing are not allowed to be worn:
- Tube tops, tank tops, or halter tops
- Clothes that expose a person’s midriff, side, or back
- Mini-skirts, mini-dresses, shorts, skorts, or culottes (at or above the kneecap)
- Form-fitting clothes such as leotards, spandex, leggings, and jeggings (Form-fitting clothes worn under clothing that covers from the neck to the kneecaps and otherwise meets the visitor attire requirements is permitted).
- See-through clothing (Clothing that exposes the visitor’s undergarments, torso, and/ or skin above the knee caps is prohibited)
- Tops or dresses that have revealing necklines and/or excessive splits
- Clothing that contains symbols or signs with inappropriate language or graphics, including gang symbols, racist comments, inflammatory communications, etc.
- Coats, jackets, shawls, and scarves will be placed in an appropriate area designated by the facility
At the discretion of the facility, smock type garments may be provided for first time visitors that would not be allowed to visit due to their attire.
Visiting Rules
Physical contact during contact visits is prohibited except for one brief kiss, a hand shake, and/or an embrace between an offender and each of the offender’s visitors at the beginning and end of each visit. Reasonable consideration is given to allow parents to appropriately hold their infant, toddler, or preschool children.
Video Visitation
The Virginia Department of Corrections offers video visitation in partnership with Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI). Family members and friends are able to initiate the video visitation application process.
First, submit the Virginia Department of Corrections' standard visitation application and get approval. Then, mail a completed video visitation application with the fee to the appropriate AFOI video visitation center. You can find more information on video visitation fees on the AFOI website.
AFOI visitation centers host video visitation on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Hours may vary for the Buckingham Correctional Center. View the current list of AFOI visitation centers on the organization's website.
Physical Address
Buckingham Correctional Center
1349 Correctional Center Road
Dillwyn, VA 23936
Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/XpCmYC2GJu5mbvnc6
General Phone Number
(434)-983-4400
Inmate Mailing Address(es)
Inmate name and DOC number
Buckingham Correctional Center
1349 Correctional Center Road
Dillwyn, VA 23936
The Virginia Department of Corrections photocopies all incoming inmate mail at Buckingham Correctional Center. Only the photocopies are delivered to the inmates. Staff will shred the original envelope and enclosed mail contents, including personal photos after they are photocopied. Watch this video to see how the Virginia DOC distributes mail.
A maximum of three 8.5”X 11” photocopied black and white pages, front and back, are allowed per mailing. The copy of the envelope is included as one of the three front and back photocopied pages.
Accepted Mail:
- Letters
- Greeting cards
- Postcards
- Appropriate photos (no pornographic, obscene, or offensive imagery)
Rejected Mail:
- Money orders, cash, checks, or other items of monetary value (send money to an offender with JPay)
- Postage stamps
- Prepaid postage envelopes or postcards
- Nude or semi-nude images of anyone
- Contraband or other items not in compliance with Operating Procedure 802.1
How to Call an Inmate
You can't call an inmate at Buckingham Correctional Center, but they do have access to phones during certain hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Virginia, please click here.
How to Send Money
There are a variety of ways to send money to your inmate at Buckingham Correctional Center. Please do not mail money – including checks and cash – to your inmate at Buckingham Correctional Center. They will be rejected.
Online or Mobile App:
The fastest way to send money is by using a credit or debit card and making an online payment through JPay. To send money directly from a mobile device, download the JPay mobile app (Android, Apple iOS).
Phone:
Call JPay at 1 (800) 574-5729 to make payments over the phone any time 24/7.
Cash:
Make a cash deposit at any MoneyGram agent location (including Walmart and CVS Pharmacy). View the list of nearby MoneyGram locations.
Money Order:
Send all money orders with a deposit slip to:
JPay
P.O. Box 278170
Miramar, FL 33027
Programs For Inmates
Adult Basic Education: This program provides instruction in literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills. ABE leads to adult secondary studies in preparation for High School Equivalency (HSE).
Building Opportunities of Knowledge (BOOK) – A tutor-assisted Adult Basic Education (ABE) program for inmates not enrolled due to waiting list or inability to attend.
Canine Obedience Training – This program improves and increases offender empathy and promotes positive pro-social interactions. Offenders in this program provide obedience training to dogs from an outside rescue agency to become well-behaved companion dogs.
Participants can't have any charges or convictions with cruelty to animals or children. They must be charge-free for one year in order to qualify to be a dog handler.
Commercial Foods – Students learn to prepare foods for restaurants, cafeterias, and other eating establishments in the Commercial Foods course. They also learn how to prepare foods using the different methods of food cookery, proper use and care of commercial food service equipment, and food service health and sanitation rules.
Companion Animal Visitation – This program allows companion animals to be brought into the facility for visiting with offenders.
Computer Literacy – Students learn basic computer skills with emphasis placed on word processing, spreadsheets, and basic use of the internet.
Electricity – The electricity program introduces students to the opportunities available in electrical occupations such as residential wiring, commercial electricity, and industrial motor control technology. Students study the basic concepts of electricity – with emphasis on safety principles – and master the competencies necessary to prepare them for the entry-level position of “electrician’s helper.”
High School Equivalency – Adult secondary level instruction ends when offenders pass the GED HSE exam approved by the Virginia Department of Education.
Parenting – Offenders learn basic parenting skills like how to communicate more effectively, realistic expectations of children, appropriate anger and stress management, alternative discipline methods, work toward a healthy self-esteem and how to build their child’s self- esteem.
Plaza Comunitaria – A Spanish language primaria and secundaria curriculum sponsored by the Mexican Government’s Instituto Nacional para la Educación de los Adultos (INEA) in cooperation with the Mexican Consulate through an accord with the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Plumbing – The course provides a basic overview of residential and commercial plumbing systems. Students learn how to assemble, install, and repair pipes, fittings, fixtures, water, and drainage systems, according to specifications and plumbing codes. Students will be able to recognize plumbing symbols and abbreviations used in architectural drawings.
Re-entry Money Smart: Making Cents out of your Finances – This is a program that features guidance from financial and business professionals. Participants view short video segments, including: Understanding Your Paycheck, Planning for Rainy Days and Your Future, Managing Your Expenses Online, Borrowing and Paying Your Debts, and Living Within Your Means and Sharing With Others.
Special Education – Instruction that creates Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and meets the needs of individuals who qualify for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).
Substance Abuse 12-step (AA and NA) – The twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems.
Thinking for a Change – This program teaches inmates appropriate social skills, helps them develop their problem-solving strategies, and teaches them appropriate cognitive restructuring techniques.
Pictures of Buckingham Correctional Center
Careers at Buckingham Correctional Center
If you are interested in a career with the Virginia Department of Corrections and would like more information about job listings at the Buckingham Correctional Center, click here.
