If someone you love is locked up in Indiana, video can be the difference between seeing their face this week and not seeing it for a month. Indiana offers video across a good chunk of the system, but the rules, the vendor, and even whether in-person is on the table all depend on where the person is being held.
Indiana splits custody three ways, and each handles video differently. The state prison system (IDOC) runs the long-term facilities. County and city jails, run by sheriffs, handle people awaiting trial or serving short sentences. And federal and immigration custody play by their own rules, with Indiana holding one major federal complex and the only ICE detention center in the state. Figure out which bucket your person is in first, because everything else flows from that.
Do Indiana state prisons offer video visitation?
Yes. IDOC offers both in-person and video visits. Video is run through ViaPath (formerly GTL), and you schedule and pay for visits in advance through the ViaPath visitation site. The pitch from IDOC is the obvious one: video lets you connect over the internet without fighting unpredictable crowds and packed in-person visiting hours.
There's an Indiana-specific quirk in the application process you need to know up front. Before you submit a visitor application, you must first contact the incarcerated person, usually by writing them a letter, and they have to agree and notify their case manager or unit team. If you apply without doing that, the application gets denied. The visitor application is done electronically through the ViaPath site (creating the account is free), and you upload ID documents to the facility's visitation coordinator. Once approved, your privileges generally last a year.
One more wrinkle: IDOC employees, former offenders, and volunteers cannot apply electronically. They have to submit a written application with documentation for the facility head's review.
A note on who can visit in Indiana
Indiana's visitor application asks about your criminal history, and certain answers mean extra steps. If you have a conviction or other flagged history, you must submit a special written request for visitation to the facility superintendent. If you're on parole or probation, you also need written approval from your parole or probation officer. Sort this out early so you're not turned away after a long drive.
County and city jails
This is where most day-to-day video visiting in Indiana happens, and it varies because each sheriff picks their own setup.
Marion County (Indianapolis) is the biggest. The Marion County Adult Detention Center, part of the Community Justice Campus, runs its visitation through GettingOut/ViaPath (ConnectNetwork), and public visits there are video only. You create a GettingOut profile, select the facility, and schedule. The same ViaPath account also handles phone, messaging, and trust deposits. Note the Friends and Family account versus inmate account distinction: with a Friends and Family account, you control which services your money pays for.
Other counties run their own vendors. Boone County uses ICSolutions for video visits. Across the state you'll also see Securus and smaller providers. The vendor is jail-specific, so the company that works for Marion County won't necessarily be the one next door.
One warning that saves people money and grief: accounts do not transfer between vendors. If your person moves from a ViaPath jail to an ICSolutions jail, your funds and account don't follow. You set up fresh with the new vendor.
How county jail video visitation usually works
There are two flavors, and the difference is the whole ballgame for your wallet.
Onsite (or "onsite video") means you drive to the jail and sit at a video terminal in the lobby to talk to the person, who's on a screen inside. Some jails run these on a set schedule. Onsite video is frequently free, though more and more Indiana jails have moved public visiting entirely to video.
Remote video means you connect from your own phone, tablet, or computer at home. That convenience is what you pay for. Remote sessions are charged per session or per minute, and you usually register and reserve a slot in advance.
Indiana jail video rates shift around, partly because the FCC has been capping these rates through 2024 to 2026 and partly because every facility prices differently. I'm not going to print a per-minute number here, because by the time you read it, it'll be wrong. Look up the rate on your specific jail's vendor page before you pay. What's stable is the structure: onsite tends to be free where it's offered, remote tends to cost, and there are usually advance-registration rules.
Setting up a video visit
The steps are roughly the same whichever vendor you're dealing with:
1. Find the vendor for that exact facility. For IDOC it's ViaPath. For a county jail, check the sheriff's website, since it could be GettingOut/ViaPath (Marion County), ICSolutions (Boone County), Securus, or something else. Don't guess.
2. Create an account and verify your identity with a photo ID. Vendors require you to confirm who you are. For IDOC, remember you must contact the incarcerated person and get on the list before applying.
3. Add your inmate using their booking or ID number, and get on the approved visitor list. For IDOC that means the approved-visitor application, including the criminal-history rule above.
4. Schedule your visit, choosing onsite or remote, and pay if it's a remote/paid session. Many facilities require booking in advance.
5. Test your device and log in early. Get on about 15 minutes ahead. Check your camera, microphone, speakers, and internet. A failed connection on your end usually still burns the visit slot.
Federal and immigration custody
If your person is in federal Bureau of Prisons custody, that's a separate system. Indiana is home to the Federal Correctional Complex at Terre Haute (FCC Terre Haute), about 70 miles west of Indianapolis, which includes a high-security penitentiary, a medium-security FCI, and a camp. It's also the site of the federal death row and execution chamber. The BOP runs primarily in-person visiting with only limited video, so use the BOP inmate locator to find the facility and check its specific visiting rules. If someone was recently arrested on a federal charge and isn't in the BOP locator yet, they're likely still in U.S. Marshals custody at a contracted county jail during the designation period.
Immigration custody in Indiana centers on one place. The Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, Indiana is the only dedicated ICE detention facility in the state, and it has held detainees brought in from across the Midwest, including people picked up in the Chicago area. The county has been expanding the facility's bed capacity, and its detainee population has at times run well over its base contract. Family and social visits there are noncontact. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator, which needs the person's A-Number (the nine-digit alien registration number) or their name plus country of birth. Because ICE moves people between facilities and states, check the locator often and confirm the current visiting rules with the facility directly.
A note on staying connected
Video is good for one thing money can't really replace: seeing a face, watching a kid wave, reading an expression. When the prison is across the state or your person is sitting in ICE detention in a rural county, that matters.
But be honest with yourself about what carries the weight day to day. Mail is the steadiest line there is. It doesn't drop the call, doesn't need a scheduled slot, and the person can hold it and read it again at 2 a.m. when the walls close in. Phone calls are the backbone of staying in touch, the thing you'll actually do most weeks. Video is the bonus on top, the face-to-face when you can get it. Build your routine around mail and calls, and treat video as the thing that makes the distance feel a little smaller.
Related pages:
/prisons/indiana
FCC 2026 call and video rate caps guide
Arrest Record Search (affiliate)
Frequently asked questions
Do Indiana state prisons offer video visits?
Yes. IDOC offers video alongside in-person visits, run through ViaPath (formerly GTL). You schedule and pay for visits in advance online.
Is in-person visiting still allowed in Indiana?
Yes. IDOC offers in-person visits at its facilities, with video available as an alternative through ViaPath.
What vendor does IDOC use for video visits?
ViaPath (formerly GTL). The visitor application and video scheduling both run through the ViaPath visitation site, and creating an account is free.
Do I have to contact the inmate before applying?
Yes. In IDOC, you must contact the incarcerated person first, usually by letter, and they must agree and notify their unit team. Otherwise the application is denied.
How do I get on the approved visitor list?
Apply electronically through the ViaPath site, upload your ID documents to the facility visitation coordinator, and wait for approval. Approval generally lasts a year.
Can people with records visit in Indiana?
Sometimes, with extra steps. A flagged criminal history means a special written request to the facility superintendent, and parolees or probationers also need their officer's approval.
What vendor does Marion County Jail use?
GettingOut/ViaPath (ConnectNetwork). The same account also handles phone, messaging, and trust deposits at the Marion County Adult Detention Center.
Are Marion County visits video-only?
For the public, yes. The Marion County Adult Detention Center conducts public visits by video through GettingOut. Attorneys can arrange in-person or privileged video visits.
Are county jail video visits free?
Sometimes. Onsite video at the jail is often free where offered. Remote video from home is usually charged per session or minute.
What is onsite vs remote video visiting?
Onsite means you go to the jail and use a terminal there, usually free. Remote means you connect from your own device at home, which typically costs money.
Do vendor accounts transfer between jails?
No. Accounts and funds don't move between vendors. If your person transfers to a jail using a different company, you set up a new account with that vendor.
How do I find which facility someone is in?
Use the IDOC offender search for state custody, the county jail roster for local custody, and the BOP locator for federal. Confirm before scheduling, since people move.
Where are ICE detainees held in Indiana?
At the Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, Indiana, the state's only dedicated ICE detention facility. It has held detainees from across the Midwest.
How do I find someone in ICE custody?
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. You'll need the person's A-Number, or their full name plus country of birth. Check often, since ICE moves people.
Is there a federal prison in Indiana?
Yes. The Federal Correctional Complex at Terre Haute includes a high-security penitentiary, a medium FCI, and a camp, plus the federal execution chamber.
Is video the only way to see an inmate?
It depends on the facility. IDOC offers both in-person and video, but some county jails are video-only for the public, and federal and ICE custody have their own limits.
What do I need to set up a video visit?
The right vendor for that facility, a verified account with a photo ID, the inmate's booking or ID number, approval to be on the list, and a tested device with good internet. ====================================================================
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