FCI McDowell Inmate Search and Prison Information

FCI Mcdowell is commonly known as the Federal Correctional Institution, McDowell. The facility is a medium-security federal prison in West Virginia. It is home to male inmates. 

Adjacent to the FCI Mcdowell there is a minimum-security satellite prison camp that houses male inmates. The facility is operated and managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 

FCI Mcdowell is located within Welch city limits. 

In the early 2000s, the Federal Bureau of Prisons decided that Mcdowell County, West Virginia was going to be the next place for a federal correctional facility. In 2004, a panel of FBOP officials held a hearing allowing to give Mcdowell County residents their say on the potential project. Over 200 residents attended the meeting, and it was unanimous in their favor. 

The construction of the project was to employ nearly 100 contractors. It was not until 2010 when the facility was fully completed. The facility costed nearly $223 million. 

The first inmates that arrive at FCI Mcdowell were instantly put to work in the maintenance field. 

FCI Mcdowell is situated on 344 acres of land. The land that FCI Mcdowell sits on was once a surface mine. FCI Mcdowell currently houses 1,280 male inmates. A total of 1,213 male inmates are in the main campus, and the remaining 67 inmates are in the satellite prison camp. FCI Mcdowell was originally designed to hold over 1,850 male inmates at a given time. 

How to Find Someone in FCI McDowell

FCI McDowell is a federal prison. The easiest way to lookup an inmate in federal prisons is going to the BOP website.

They have a database where you can search all federal inmates.

Sending a Mail/Care Package

The inmates at FCI Mcdowell can send and receive letters from their family and friends. To send a letter you will need to see if they reside in the satellite prison camp or the main campus. 

The main campus mailing address is: 

Inmate Name and Registration Number
FCI McDowell
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1009
Welch, WV 24801

The satellite prison camp mailing address is: 

Inmate Name and Registration Number
FCI McDowell
Satellite Prison Camp
P.O. Box 1009
Welch, WV 24801

Sending Money

You can put money into your inmate's commissary account by Western Union or MoneyGram. Each option you can do online or in person.

You will need to the following information

• Inmate Name
• Register Number (inmate number)
• City (always will be FBOP)
• State (always will be DC)

If you can’t get down to either Western Union or MoneyGram, you can send money directly to their PO box. That information is:

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
P.O. Box 474702
Des Moines, Iowa 50947

Do NOT send money to an inmate using the FCI McDowell address. All funds sent through the mail must be addressed to a processing center in Des Moines, Iowa. This applies to all Federal inmates, regardless of where they are incarcerated.

Email

The last way to stay in touch with an inmate at FCI McDowell is through email. Email is also through Trulincs.

The email program is funded by the inmate trust fund, which is kept up with purchases from the commissary, the telephone service, and fees paid directly to Trulincs.

Emails are monitored and screened for content not suitable for them.

Admissions and Orientation Handbook

Your first day in prison, you are bombarded with a ton of information. One booklet you will be giving is the Admissions and Orientation (A&O) Handbook. 

This handbook will supply you with general information about the prison itself alongside the prison’s rules, programs, and regulations you will have to follow while you are serving out your sentence. 

It will be in your best interest to familiarize yourself with handbook as it is your responsibility to transition smoothly to prison life. 

The handbook is in English and in Spanish.

Commissary

The commissary was founded in 1930 by the Department of Justice. The Commissary was placed in all Federal Institutions. 

The commissary allows inmates to shop for “luxury” items while they are in prison. Funds are typically deposited by their friends, families, and their prison jobs. 

Inmates have a spending limit of $360 per month. The commissary is only open on a designated day of the week where they can utilize the shop. 

All federal prisons have their commissary list with prices available to the public.

Legal Activities

Even when in prison, you may still need legal counsel. There are strict procedures one will have to follow to obtain legal reference materials alongside their legal counsel. 

There are also many opportunities to be taken advantage of to afford the proposal of legal documents when behind bars.  

All procedures for legal activities can be located here.

Visitation

To visit an inmate serving time in the FCI McDowell, you first must be put on their approved list.

When an inmate first comes to the FCI McDowell, they fill out a visitor form. When they complete their share, a form is mailed off to those individuals who were listed on the visitor form and send it back to the facility. The facility may call and request more background information, if needed.

Dress Code

When visiting the facility, please dress appropriately. No miniskirts, halter tops, or other clothes not suitable for a job interview. If such clothing is worn, you will be denied visitation.

How Often Can I Visit?

This will depend on what rank the inmate is. There are three ranks:

• LSCI – 12 points
• FCI – 5 points
• USP – 9 points

Here is the point schedule for visitations:

FCI

• Each visit is one point regardless of the day.

LSCI

• 2 points for weekend visits
• 2 points for federal holidays visits
• 1 point for weekday visits

USP

• 2 points for weekend visits
• 0 points for federal holiday visits
• 1 point for weekday visits.

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