Amherst Adult Detention Center Lookup

BRRJA Amherst Overview

Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority - Amherst County Adult Detention Center is a BRRJA regional jail facility in Madison Heights. BRRJA's Amherst facility page lists the site at 219 S Riverview Road, Madison Heights, VA 24572, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 1150, Madison Heights, VA 24572. The published phone number is 434-528-3160 and the fax number is 434-528-3748. Major D. Moore is listed as Site Administrator, and Captain B. Hughes is listed as Assistant Site Administrator.

This facility is not physically in Pittsylvania County, but it belongs in the Pittsylvania custody map because the county's jail and jail-project pages say Pittsylvania uses Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority facilities due to overcrowding. A Pittsylvania arrest may therefore involve the local jail at 11 Bank Street first and a BRRJA placement later. Families should verify whether the person is at Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Halifax, or Lynchburg before using a visiting schedule or mailing address.

BRRJA Amherst Capacity and Population

The 2025 State Board of Local and Regional Jails capacity report lists the Amherst line with 682 permanent beds, 21 temporary beds, 64 special-purpose beds, actual capacity 767, and rated capacity 340. The same research notes a BRRJA combined average daily population of 918.10 in 2025, with the combined figure covering the authority rather than only Amherst. Those numbers should be read as regional-jail capacity context, not a Pittsylvania-only population count.

Pittsylvania's own jail population is partly local and partly regionalized. The county jail page says an average day can include 70 to 90 Pittsylvania inmates at Blue Ridge, while the jail-project page says the county routinely houses 30 to 50 detainees there. The difference reflects separate official descriptions, but both support the same practical point: a person connected to Pittsylvania County may be physically housed in the BRRJA system.

How to Look Up an Inmate at BRRJA Amherst

For Amherst custody, use the BRRJA Amherst JailTracker route linked from Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority, or ask the facility to confirm the proper JailTracker facility path. Research found BRRJA roster links for Amherst, Bedford, Campbell County, Halifax County, and Lynchburg. The JailTracker interface uses name search fields and can include facility, booking, charge, court, bond, hold, and release fields depending on the agency configuration.

1. Start with the BRRJA Amherst JailTracker link rather than the Pittsylvania County Jail page.
2. Enter the last name and, when helpful, first name to narrow similar records.
3. Complete any search type or captcha step shown by the Public Safety Cloud/JailTracker page.
4. Open the result and confirm the facility, arrest date, charges, bond fields, hold information, and release status if those fields are shown.
5. If the person was arrested in Pittsylvania but does not appear at Amherst, check the other BRRJA facility routes or call the facility named by Pittsylvania Jail Administration.

BRRJA Amherst Address and Contact

Use the Amherst facility contact information for custody confirmation, facility-specific visiting questions, and local mail or money-order concerns. If a Pittsylvania County detainee was just transferred, it may take time for the correct facility path and account procedures to become clear, so verify placement before sending funds or mail.

Visiting Someone at BRRJA Amherst

BRRJA visitation rules apply at Amherst. Visitors are subject to search, visits may be delayed or canceled without notice, and visitors must be on the inmate's visitation list. Valid picture ID is required and must not be damaged, torn, taped, or altered. Cell phones, recording devices, and other electronics are not allowed in visitation unless approved by the Site Administrator. Visitors should leave belongings in vehicles, and no more than three adult visitors may visit at one time.

Anyone under 18 must be with a parent or legal guardian, or have a notarized Juvenile Visitation Form and be with an authorized adult visitor. Former inmates must wait six months after release before visiting any BRRJA inmate. Visitors may only visit once per week, and the name on the ID must match the inmate's visitation list. Dress rules bar see-through clothing, tank tops, halters, tube tops, sleeveless tops, short skirts or shorts, bathing suits, mini skirts, hats, hoods, and jackets except approved religious or medical head coverings.

BRRJA notes parking is available on site and visitors should check in at least 30 minutes before the visit. Because transfer status can change, confirm Amherst placement before relying on this schedule.

Mail, Phone, and Money at BRRJA Amherst

BRRJA facility pages link Amherst to JailATM for account funding, Oasis/JailCanteen for commissary, ViaPath for phone services, BRRJA mail instructions, and BRRJA visitation rules. Personal letters, photos, and drawings must go to BRRJA's new personal-mail address. Letters sent to the facility P.O. Box or physical site are returned to sender unless they fall into categories not covered by the personal-mail change.

Money orders must be mailed alone to the facility address, made payable to BRRJA, and include the inmate's name after the purchaser's name. BRRJA does not accept cash, certified checks, or personal checks. Inmates may not keep more than 10 pictures at a time; pictures must be 4x6 or smaller; Polaroids, frames, nude or revealing pictures, musical or recording greeting cards, bookmarks, envelopes, paper, stamps, stickers, glitter, crayons, plastic, strings, credit cards, phone cards, calling cards, books, magazines, and pamphlets are not allowed.

BRRJA phone calls are limited to a maximum of 15 minutes. Published rates in the research are Collect $0.16 per minute, Pre Paid Collect $0.16 per minute, Debit $0.16 per minute, and International $0.50 per minute. Debit-call credits are sold through commissary and are non-refundable, and a live-agent funding fee for pre-paid collect accounts is listed as $5.95.

Booking and Intake at BRRJA Amherst

Amherst is a regional jail facility, so an inmate record may reflect an arresting agency, booking event, hold, court date, case number, bond status, or release status connected to another locality. For Pittsylvania cases, a person may first be processed through local arrest and court channels, then moved to BRRJA because the county jail is crowded. JailTracker may show a facility route or agency field when BRRJA enables those display settings.

Do not treat a missing Amherst result as proof that a Pittsylvania detainee is out of custody. The person could be at Pittsylvania County Jail, another BRRJA facility, VADOC after sentencing, federal custody, or released. The strongest confirmation path is to combine Jail Administration, BRRJA facility search, VINE notifications, and Virginia court case information.

About BRRJA Amherst

BRRJA's regional role is central to Pittsylvania inmate searches because the local jail's size and age create overflow pressure. The county jail page describes the local jail and Blue Ridge use, the county jail project page explains replacement planning, and the Sheriff's Office page identifies Sheriff Michael W. Taylor as the county sheriff. Amherst is one of the Blue Ridge locations that can appear in that practical search path, along with Bedford, Campbell, Halifax, and Lynchburg.

BRRJA also publishes programs across the authority, including substance abuse programs, educational programs, life skills, religious programs, DMV Connect, library programming, pre-release, progressive release, re-entry, H.E.M., Weekender Program, Work Release, and Work Force. Work Release is described for low-risk nonviolent offenders who meet criteria, while Work Force provides approved work-detail crews to participating localities. Availability for a specific person depends on classification, facility placement, eligibility, and BRRJA approval.