Federal Correctional Institution - Danbury

Federal Correctional Institution - Danbury is a low-security federal correctional institution, located in Danbury, Connecticut, with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp and an adjacent low-security satellite prison. It houses both male and female prisoners, and has a total of 1,049 inmates.

From 1993 to 2013, FCI Danbury was an all-female facility, but now it has transitioned back to a male prison and the female inmates are housed at the satellite camp.

Inmates at the FCI are housed in dorms or cubicle housing, and inmates at the camp are housed in dormitories.

FCI Danbury is one of the most well-known federal prisons in the United States because it is where Piper Kerman - author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison - served 13 months for money laundering. The hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black is based on Kerman’s time at FCI Danbury.

Prison Insights

Visiting hours at the FCI are Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and federal holidays from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.

Visiting hours at the satellite prison and satellite camp are Saturday, Sunday, and federal holidays from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.

Authorized visitors who can visit an inmate include family, friends, and associates. You can't visit an inmate unless he or she 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.

A maximum of three adults and five children can visit an inmate at one time.

All visitors are to be dressed appropriately. You can’t wear anything provocative or suggestive in nature.

PERSONS WEARING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OF CLOTHING WILL NOT BE ADMITTED:

• Anything similar to inmate clothing (orange, khaki, khaki green colors)
• Mini-skirts, halter tops, tube tops, or halter dresses
• Strapless blouses or dresses, sleeveless shirts, see-through clothing, or other apparel which is skin tight or revealing in nature
• Dresses or skirts with a hem above the knee
• Anything with a hood
• Spandex, yoga pants, leggings, jeggings, form-fitting pants
• Hats (religious headgear is permitted)
• Sweat suits or jogging suits
• Shorts
• Flip-flops or open-toe shoes
• Camouflage
• Coats or jackets
• Watches, jewelry, electronic devices

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE PERMITTED INTO THE VISITING ROOM:

1) One small clear plastic bag
2) Up to $30 for vending machines
3) Locker key or chit
4) If you have a small child - 3 diapers, 2 clear bottles with formula or milk, 1 baby blanket, 1 pacifier, and a small amount of baby wipes 

All visitors are subject to a visual and pat search by an officer. You will also be scanned by 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.

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, current passport, or resident alien card. Birth certificates are not valid forms of ID.

Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult over 18.

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 landlines 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 Danbury, FCI Danbury Satellite Prison, and the FCI Danbury 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 Danbury.
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. It 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)
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Literacy
• GED
• English as a second language
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Vocational training in Culinary Arts and Horticulture at the FCI, and the camp offers Puppies Behind Bars
• Apprenticeships in Baker, Carpenter, Chaplain Service Support, Cook, Dental Assistant, Education and Training, Electrician, Horticulturist, Housekeeper (Commercial, Residential, Industrial), Landscape Management Technician, Legal Secretary, Material Coordinator, Office Manager, Painter, Plumber, Quality Control Inspector, Recreation Assistant, Teacher Aide, and Tool Machine Set-Up, HVAC, Meat Cutter, Peer Specialist, and Stationary Engineer.
• The camp offers apprenticeships in Animal Trainer, Baker, Career Development Technician, and Undercar Specialist.
• UNICOR facility that produces electronics and plastics*

*UNICOR is a prison labor program that provides inmates with a vocational skill set to give them the means to support themselves post-incarceration.

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Danbury

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Danbury

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Danbury 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 Danbury are pretty positive. The work/life balance is above average, the work environment is fast-paced, and the salary and benefits are decent.