Pendleton Correctional Facility

Pendleton Correctional Facility is a maximum-security state prison operated by the Indiana Department of Correction, located in the town of Pendleton in Madison County, roughly 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis. One of Indiana's older correctional institutions, the facility opened in 1923 and has housed some of the state's most serious offenders over the past century. Today it serves as a close and maximum-security institution within the IDOC system. Its location in Madison County, within reach of the Indianapolis metropolitan area, makes it more accessible for central Indiana families than remote facilities in the northern or southern part of the state.

Communication at Pendleton Correctional Facility follows Indiana DOC provider contracts. JPay manages electronic messaging, photo sharing, and money transfers. Families create a JPay account and link the inmate using their Indiana DOC number to begin correspondence. GTL manages phone calls and video visitation under the IDOC statewide contract. The process is straightforward: set up JPay for messaging and money, GTL for phone calls and video visits. These are separate platforms with separate accounts, and funds on one do not transfer to the other.

Pendleton's location about 35 miles from Indianapolis makes in-person visits practical for many central Indiana families. I-69 provides direct access from the northeast side of Indianapolis. For families outside Indianapolis or those from other states, JPay messaging and GTL video visits offer consistent alternatives. Because IDOC uses JPay and GTL system-wide, accounts set up for Pendleton will work at any other Indiana DOC facility if an inmate is transferred within the state system.