Buena Vista County Jail

---

The Buena Vista County Jail is located at 2039 Sycamore Avenue #1 in Buena Vista, VA and is a medium security county jail operated by the Buena Vista Independent City Sheriff’s Department.

This page will tell you info about everything you might want to know about the Buena Vista County Jail, such as how to do a jail inmate search, the jail’s address and phone number, booking and intake procedures, how to find Buena Vista Independent City court records, and much, much more.

Top 10 Searches for Buena Vista County Jail

1. Buena Vista County Jail Information
2. Buena Vista County Jail Inmate Search
3. Buena Vista Independent City Inmate Search in Buena Vista, VA
4. Buena Vista County Jail Visitation Rules
5. What Are the Visitation Hours for Buena Vista County Jail
6. How To Save Money on Inmate Calls at Buena Vista County Jail
7. Buena Vista County Jail Care Packages
8. What is Inmate Commissary?
9. How to Send Money to an Inmate at Buena Vista County Jail
10. How to Search Buena Vista Independent City Arrest Records

Introduction

The goal of this guide is to offer advice and information you need to make helping a friend or family member get out of jail a lot easier. If you have questions, feel free to ask it, and also any feedback or comments that might be a benefit to other people in the same situation would be appreciated.

Buena Vista County Jail Inmate Search

---

Who’s In Jail

The Buena Vista County Jail Inmate Search is a list of people who have been arrested and are in jail, including custody status, and visiting schedule. Also, you can find the same information about anyone booked or released in the past 24 hours. Prisoners are listed alphabetically by last name. You can find their arrest information fast if you’ve got your friend or family member’s first and last name, birth date, or inmate ID Number.

Buena Vista County Jail Policies and Procedures

Intake Procedures

The intake process at the Buena Vista County Jail includes each of these steps:

You will be placed in a waiting area or cell. If the jail is busy, it will take a while to get processed.

You have to answer some basic questions, like your full legal name, home address, date of birth and an emergency contact, and they’ll also ask about your mental and medical history. Next, you will be issued an inmate ID and your fingerprints will be taken. Then, any personal property you have will be taken from you and stored until you get released.

You will then be allowed to make a telephone call to talk to a member of your family, friend, or loved one.

If they expect that you will make bail and be released quickly, you might be able to wear your street clothes, but if you are not expected to make bail quickly you you will have to change into a jail jumpsuit.

Discharge Procedures

Once you are able to post bail, you will be allowed to leave jail. The discharge process takes anywhere between 15 minutes to hours or even all day long. In simple terms, the faster you can post bail, the sooner you will get out of jail. Also, it depends on if you have a cash bond amount or if the magistrate must figure out how much to set your bail at. For minor offenses, you will be booked and get released without having to post bail. When you have served out your jail sentence and are given a date of your release, expect to get discharged at any time that day – but usually in the morning.

Buena Vista County Jail Visitation

Inmates need to provide each visitor’s name to the Buena Vista County Jail in advance of any visit. Your visitor’s names will go in a Visiting log for the requesting inmate. All visitors has to provide a photo ID when visiting. Any visitors that arrives for visitation late or any visitors that are not approved to visit will not be able to attend visitation.

Visitation procedures at Buena Vista County Jail change often, so make sure that you call the facility at (540) 261-8615 before you go.

---

Visitation Rules

Before you can visit an inmate at the Buena Vista County Jail you have to first be on this person’s approved visitation list.

Make sure to bring your up to date government issued ID or driver’s license when you go to visit or you will not be allowed to enter.

No cellphones at Buena Vista County Jail, and you will be searched. No personal belongings. Persons probation, parole, or other community corrections supervision must obtain the permission of both the superintendent and their individual supervising officer before they can visit. Usually is not normally approved.

If a visitor is younger than 18 years of age and is a family member of the inmate, they will have to be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian to include a member of the inmate’s extended family. If a visitor is younger than 18 years of age and is not related to the inmate, the minor visitor must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Sending Mail to Inmates

This is what you need to know about sending letters, photos, postcards, greeting cards and magazines to an inmate at the Buena Vista County Jail. Incoming and outgoing inmate mail at the Buena Vista County Jail is always searched and inspected for contraband that might threaten the security, safety or well-being of the facility, its staff, and inmates. Inmates can only receive metered, unstamped, plain white postcards no larger than 4″ x 6″ as mail. The writing on the postcard has to be in pencil or blue or black ink. If it has a stamp on it, it will get returned. If you write in green ink, then it will get returned. If you send any other kind of mail will be returned to the sender. If there is no return address on it, then the unauthorized mail will be stored in the inmate’s locker until the inmate gets release.

Do not include any of these things in the mail that you send to an inmate: any kind of threat to jail order, any description of the manufacture of weapons, bombs, incendiary devices, or tools for escape; do not encourage or advocate any kind of violence, hate speech, or racial or ethnic supremacy. Inmates are not allowed to write to other inmates.

---

Sending Other Things to an Inmate

There are strict procedures that you must follow to send anything to an inmate at the Buena Vista County Jail. This includes sending money for to spend in the commissary, sending regular mail or photos, sending money for phone calls, and even postcards.

This page covers everthing you need to know about the Buena Vista County Jail to help you follow these procedures and guidelines. If you have questions, or there is something that you were looking for, but did not find, please contact us using the contact link in the site menu.

Public Records

Warrant Inquiry

If you think you might have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you can access arrest warrants inquiry on the website or you can call the court directly. This requires a first and last name. You can also go to the local jail and ask one of the officers. You should know that if there is an arrest warrant out for you, you should be prepared to get taken into custody immediately.

Arrest Record Search

If you know the person’s name, and their arrest date, contact the jail, on the phone, in person, or look online. Records of arrests are public record and this information is available to anyone.

Court Records

Court Records are public records. These records include a court case file that includes a court docket and all filings and documents filed in the case. You are able to access your court records via the internet service ‘Public Access to Court Electronic Records’, or at Clerk of Court where the case was filed.

Criminal Records

Every state keeps a record of someone’s criminal background. These databases are all linked and you can track criminal backgrounds from any other state. You can go to courthouse and inquire, or check the website. It helps to know the county, and in the event that the crime was in a totally different state, you might have to pay a fee for a more complete search.

A search of someone’s criminal history you will find out if a person has ever been arrested, charged or convicted for the following crimes, drug crimes like possession or trafficking, kidnapping, sex offenses which could include rape, and sexual assault, violent crimes like assault or murder, or property crimes like theft or larceny.

Money & Commissary

The rules for sending money to Buena Vista County Jail jail inmates can change at any time, so we suggest that you check the Buena Vista County Jail site when you send funds to an inmate.

How To Send Money to an Inmate at Buena Vista County Jail

You will have your own ‘bank account’ while in jail. This money is used to purchase items from the Commissary. Family and friends can deposit money into this account for you, and any money you earn while in prison will also be deposited into your account. Outside money can be paid in to your account via a money order, cash or check. If someone sends a check or money order, make sure that they write your inmate ID on it. The maximum amount you are allowed in your account is $290 per month.

Guidelines For Sending Money To An Inmate

Before you send any money you should find out what online money transfer companies the jail your inmate is incarcerated in uses. The exact method that the Buena Vista County Jail uses changes frequently, so it is best to call them at (540) 261-8615 to get the current payment method.

You may be required to be on the inmate’s visitation list in order to send them money, and be aware that they may have a limit on how much you deposit at one time, like $200-300 at a time, or a limit on how much money may be in the inmate’s account at one time.

Some of the money transfer firms being used by various facilities include JPay, MoneyGram, AccessCorrections, OffenderConnect, Touchpayonline, JailATM, WU, smartdeposit, and tigercommissary.

If an inmate has fines or are required to pay restitution then they will be subject to garnishment of their commissary/trust account. If the inmate has a garnishment, then money to pay them will be taken from the inmate’s bank account. In some cases it may be a percentage or the entire amount of the obligation, but the actual percentage depends on the circumstances. We recommend that inmates talk to the counselor at their facility and try to find out. You can also try to make an arrangement so that only a percentage of your commissary funds are taken, instead of all your funds take at one time.

Commissary

The commissary is the Buena Vista County Jail store. Inmates can purchase a number of things here, such as personal items, food, and things for writing. Bear in mind that you will most likely want to use the commissary every day, and any infractions will get that privilege taken away from you.

The Commissary will sell a selection of different products that inmates can buy if they have sufficient funds in their commissary account. These items include clothes, shoes, small snacks and other food items, in addition to personal hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, and disposable razors for shaving. The commissary also sells other things like books and magazines, televisions and radios, playing cards, headphones, MP3 players, and electronic tablets. They also sell everything need to write home to family, friends, and loved ones: paper, envelopes, and stamps. If an inmate is indigent and cannot afford paper and stamps, the jail will provide these things to an inmate who has not had any money in their commissary account for at least 30 days.

Phone Calls & Phone Usage Policy

All phone calls from the Buena Vista County Jail are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account . These phone calls are usually pricier than phone calls made outside of jail. Inmates are able to make phone calls, with restrictions on how often you can use the phone, but bear in mind that you are just one of many people who want to talk to their loved ones. If you break the rules and are disciplined, an inmate’s phone privileges could be reduced or forbidden.

The Buena Vista County Jail phone number is: (540) 261-8615

How To Save Money on Inmate Calls

Correctional facility phone service companies have a monopoly at each facility that they operate, which means that they they control how much it costs to make phone calls. The money these phone service providers make from all inmate phone calls are shared with the facility, so there is no incentive for the jail or the counselors at the facility to show inmates or their family how to save money on inmate phone calls at the Buena Vista County Jail. The prices are posted and there are at least two different prices based on where the inmate is calling. These three things will determine the cost of an inmate phone call: Where you are located; Where your inmate is located, What type of phone number you have.

For example, if your inmate is in federal prison, if you get a new local number then this will decrease your inmate’s phone call rate from $.21 per minute to only $.06 per minute.

For the other correctional facilities like state prisons, and local and county jails learning how to lower your inmates phone charges can be more difficult. ArrestedResources.com keeps up to date with all of the changes that affect your inmate’s calling rate and in most cases is able to offer you an inmate calling number that will save you significantly on calling your inmate. There are some prisons or jails where we will not be able to save you any money, and therefore we will not offer you an inmate calling number. In these cases, the facility has set their phone call rates in a way that nobody can save you money.

For more detailed information on how to save on inmate calls at Buena Vista County Jail, click the link below.

Return To Main Menu

2234