Federal Correctional Institution - Safford

Federal Correctional Institution - Safford is a low-security federal correctional institution that is located in Safford, Arizona. It holds a total of 826 male offenders.

Inmates at FCI Safford live in dormitories that are divided into eight-person cubicles.

All inmates at FCI Safford are required to have a job assignment. And, if they do not have a high school diploma or GED, they must attend a GED program.

Notable former inmates include Kevin Tubbs, member of the eco-terrorist group Earth Liberation Front,  who served 12 years after pleading guilty of arson for setting fires to an SUV dealership, a tree farm, and an Oregon police station. He was released in 2016.

Former Governor of Oklahoma David Hall served 18 months back in 1978 and 1979 after being convicted of bribery and extortion. And, John Ehrlichman, the former Domestic Affairs Adviser to President Nixon, served 18 months after being convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury in relation to the Watergate scandal.

Currently, Allen Pace is serving a 24-year sentence for masterminding the 1997 theft of $18.9 million from the Dunbar Armored Car Company, the largest cash armed robbery in United States history. He is scheduled to be released in 2021.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at FCI Safford are on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The maximum number of visitors an inmate may have at one time is four, including children.

Getting on the Approved Visit List

Authorized visitors who can visit an inmate include family, friends, and associates. You can't visit an inmate unless he puts you on the visiting list.

Everyone must fill out a visitor form, and they must have a relationship with the inmate prior to incarceration. If a potential visitor does not have a prior relationship with the inmate, their request will be reviewed by the warden.

Once the inmate requests to add someone to their visit list, a correctional counselor will provide them with a visiting form, and the inmate is responsible for mailing these out and letting the potential visitor know that they need to fill out the form and return it to the institution staff.

The unit team will do a background check and determine if a visitor application is approved. They make their decision based on constructive and security factors. The process takes about a week, and the unit staff will notify the inmate when the requested visitor is approved or refused.

It is the inmate’s responsibility to notify the visitor of the decision, and the process is the same for both adult and minor visitors.

Basic Visit Procedures and Rules

If you are 16 years of age or older, you must bring a valid photo ID with you to the visit, like a state or federal ID card, driver's license, or current passport. Birth certificates are not valid forms of ID.

All visitors are subject to a visual and pat search by an officer. You will also be scanned by a metal detector and receive a black light stamp.

Any item you bring into the facility will be opened and searched by a staff member, and anyone who refuses a search of themselves or their property will not be allowed to visit with the inmate.

Visitors are not authorized to bring any item into the institution to give to an inmate. Lockers are not available to visitors for the storage of personal items, so these items must be returned to the visitor's personal vehicle.

Cell phones, pagers, cameras, or electronic devices of any type are not authorized inside the institution.

Vending machines and microwave ovens are available for use in the visiting room. Inmates are not allowed access to these machines. Visitors may not bring food items into the institution with the exception of sealed, baby food and individual baby formulas for infants.

Large purses, wallets, flight or travel bags, briefcases, parcels, etc., will not be allowed.

Small, see-through coin purses (8" x 8" x 2") may be taken into the visiting area, however, they will be inspected by the Front Entrance Officer prior to admittance.

Any items which cannot be completely searched will be processed via the E-Scan Machine located in the Front Lobby. Diaper bags are not permitted into the institution. Individual diapers, enough to last the length of the visit, will be allowed after they have been searched.

The following are the only items authorized in the visiting room.

• One (1) wallet or One (1) transparent change purse no larger than 8" x 8 " x 2 " 2 
• Four (4) diapers
• Two (2) plastic jars of baby food, unopened
• One (1) clear and empty baby bottle or sippy cup
• Three (3) individual packaged baby formulas
• One (1) baby blanket (winter months only)
• Two (2) sanitary napkins or tampons
• Medication : Only nitroglycerin pills, insulin and prescribed inhalers will be allowed and must be left at the visiting room officer's desk until conclusion of the visit
• No more than $20 in change , quarters, dimes and nickels will be allowed for use in the vending machines . Paper currency is not authorized to be brought into the institution 

Visitors should dress within the bounds of good taste and should not wear clothing which would offend others who may be present in the visiting room.

Anyone wearing clothing considered to be too revealing will not be allowed to visit. This may include sun dresses, leotards, miniskirts, backless tops, any sleeveless garment, crop tops, low cut necklines, sheer fabric, see through lace, and clothing of spandex material .

No open-toed shoes or sandals of any kind are allowed.

Any clothing more than three (3) inches above the knee will be considered too short and will not be permitted to enter the institution . This includes shorts, dresses, sun dresses, miniskirts, culottes, and any dress or skirt with a high cut split, in back, front of side , etc. This applies to all visitors regardless of age.

Any type of gang insignia or gang art work of any type on a visitor's clothing , design in their hair, displaying affiliation with gangs, will be brought to the attention of the Operation’s Lieutenant.

Any type of military style clothing including camouflage clothing will not be allowed.

Any clothing similar to inmate clothing such as khaki type will not be permitted.

Hats or caps will not be permitted inside the visiting room. Visitors wearing religious headwear may be asked to provide the headwear for a search if first authorized by the Warden or his/her designee and if staff have reasonable suspicion that the religious headwear contains contraband.

If it is determined that a visitor is dressed inappropriately, the visitor will not be allowed entrance: First time visitors will be given the option to visit the inmate only after appropriate dress has been obtained, those visitors who visit on a regular basis will not be allowed to visit until the following regular visiting day.

There is no limit on the amount of mail that inmates receive, but all correspondence must have the inmate’s complete name, registration number, facility name, and address.

You can only send cards or letters to these addresses. Paperback books, newspapers, and magazines must come directly from the publisher via a subscription or mail order.

Inmates cannot receive packages through the mail, with the exception of a package of release day clothing. You can't send the release day package until 30 days prior to the scheduled release date.

How to Call an Inmate

Federal inmates are not allowed to have cellphones and they can't receive inbound calls. They can make outbound calls during approved hours, and they must pay for them with the money that is on their personal account or call collect.

Inmates will use TRULINCS to call to both landline and cell phones. This is also how inmates are able to send and receive emails. Your number must be added to the contact list for approval.

All phone calls are limited to 15 minutes, and will be monitored and recorded.

How to Send Money

Sending money is one of most important things you can do for an inmate. The prison will issue each prisoner the minimum amount of clothing and hygiene items, and provide them with three meals a day. But, it is extremely difficult for prisoners to have any level of comfort when living with just the items that are prison-issued.

Inmates can receive outside funds while incarcerated at a BOP-managed facility, which are deposited into their commissary accounts.

Postal Service

For federal prisoners, you can send money through the United States Postal Service by MONEY ORDER to the following address:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Inmate Name
Eight-Digit Register Number
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

Send the funds to the address above. Replace the second line with the inmate's valid, full committed name. Replace the third line with the inmate's eight digit register number.

Never send money directly to the prison. If you are using the postal service, you must always send your money order to the bureau of prisons using the above address.

MoneyGram

You can send an inmate funds electronically using MoneyGram's Express Payment Program.To send funds using this method, please read and follow these steps carefully:

• Wait until an inmate has physically arrived at FCI Safford.
• Gather the information you'll need. Which includes the inmate’s name and number.
• Visit moneygram.com to complete your payment.

Information needed to complete MoneyGram payment:

• Account Number: Inmate's eight-digit register number with no spaces or dashes, followed immediately by the inmate's last name (example: 12345678DOE).
• Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons
• City & State: Washington, DC
• Receive Code is always: 7932
• Beneficiary: Inmate's full committed name

Western Union

If you would like to see a sample Western Union form click here. On their website, they have a special form for sending money to inmates, and you go directly to it by clicking here.

You will need to know the inmate’s full name and number, and you can pay with a debit or credit card at westernunion.com. Remember, any time you send money to an inmate you must always include their name and registration number on everything.

There are a few things that inmates can spend their money on. This includes phone calls, emails, and commissary.  The commissary is the prison store, where inmates can buy things like beverages, meals and snacks, OTC medications, stationary, personal hygiene items, clothing, or other miscellaneous products.

Please be aware that prisoners have their own economy inside the prison walls just like we do in the real world. Inmates that have a lot of money can do a lot of things both legal and illegal. Prisoners can potentially use the money in their account to buy things for other inmates in exchange for drugs and paraphernalia. This activity is illegal and can get an inmate in a lot of trouble.

Is important to keep track of how much money you are sending your incarcerated loved one, and watch out for any suspicious behavior.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Drug Abuse Education Course
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Literacy Classes
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Advanced occupational education in Carpentry, Business, Retail Sales, and HVAC
• Vocational training in Business, Carpentry, and HVAC
• Apprenticeships in Cabinet Making, Culinary Arts, Dental Assistant, Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Commercial Driver’s License, and Small Gas Engine
• UNICOR facility produces clothing and textiles
• Intramural sports

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Safford

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Safford

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Safford by visiting USAJobs.gov. The salaries at the facility begin around $40,000 and can go up into the six-figure range, depending on the position.

Reviews from employees at FCI Safford are not positive, with most saying that it was a difficult  work environment and the salary and benefits are below average.