Federal Correctional Institution - Herlong

Federal Correctional Institution - Herlong, or FCI Herlong is a medium-security federal correctional institution for male offenders that also has a minimum-security satellite camp. It is located in Northeastern California, approximately 60 miles west of Reno, Nevada.

FCI Herlong is one of three prisons in Lassen county; the other two are state prisons located in the county seat of Susanville. In 2007, half the adults in Susanville worked in one of the three facilities; and together the three prisons hold approximately 11,000 inmates.

Prisons are the major employers in the area since the timber industry has declined.

Inmates at the FCI are housed in cells, while those at the camp are housed in dormitories.

FCI Herlong opened in 2007, and notable former inmates include Earth Liberation Front member Tre Arrow, who served 5 years for arson, and co-founder of the environment group Peaceful Uprising, Tim DeChristopher, who served 2 years for false representation.

There are currently 1,029 inmates at the facility, with 940 at the FCI and 89 at the camp.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at FCI Herlong and the satellite camp are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

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

The number of persons allowed to visit is limited to five adults per inmate. Children under the age of 16 are not counted against the inmate's five maximum visitors.

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 also must walk through a metal detector.

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.

Items you can bring into a visit are:

• Handkerchiefs
• Comb
• Coins or a reasonable amount of currency not to exceed $25 (only $5 and $1 allowed)
• Female hygiene items
• Identification cards
• Immediate needs for medications such as those needed for heart disease, respiratory malfunctions, etc.
• During the cold weather season, winter coats and headgear must be hung on the coat racks provided at both the FCI and Camp
• Diaper bags will also be held at Officers Station 

Visiting is an extremely important family function, and dress code requirements are necessary to maintain the dignity of those involved . All visitors will be properly dressed while at the institution.

Visitors are prohibited against wearing shorts (except children under 12), all visitors must wear a shirt, and shirts or blouses will have a sleeve that reaches the mid-bicep area. You can’t wear low cut or any see-through clothing (if skin can be seen through the garment , it is defined as "see-through").

No tube or tank tops, no sleeveless shirts or spaghetti straps, no backless clothing, no bare midriffs, no swimsuits, no sweat suits, no pajamas, no spandex pants, no body suits, no skinny jeans, no leggings or any other type of form fitting pants or skirts that would be considered of a suggestive or revealing nature.

No open- toed shoes, no flip flops, no sandals or slippers. Thigh-high and knee-high boots will not be permitted unless worn under jeans.

If a visitor chooses to wear a dress, the length of the dress will not be shorter than the natural break of the leg at the back of the knee . This requirement includes any type of slit or cut in the dress.

With the exception of religious headgear, hats may not be worn during visits.

Inmates are responsible for advising their visitors of the dress requirements in the Visiting Room, including not wearing clothing which is khaki in color at the FCI , and green in color at the FPC .

Visits may be denied by the IDO and/or Operations Lieutenant for noncompliance after review of the situation . Excessively provocative attire is reason to deny and/or preclude visiting.

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.The process for sending money is the same for FCI Herlong and the Satellite Camp.

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 a FCI Herlong.
• 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, electronics, 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.

The monthly spending limit at FCI Herlong is $360 per inmate.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Drug Abuse Education Course
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• GED
• English as a Second Language
• Parenting
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Vocational Training and Work Release
• UNICOR facility that handles fleet management and vehicular components
• Team Sports
• Individual arts and crafts

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Herlong

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Herlong

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Herlong 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 Herlong are generally positive, saying that it was a good work environment and the staff was like a family. The work/life balance is above average, and the salary and benefits were competitive.