Federal Correctional Institution - Marianna

Federal Correctional Institution - Marianna or FCI Marianna, is a medium-security federal correctional institution for male offenders with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp for female offenders. It is a Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) facility. 

Inmates at FCI Marianna are housed in two-person cells. The satellite camp has dormitories that have a more open living arrangement with cubicles divided into two-person sleeping quarters.

FCI Marianna is known for the complications with their computer recycling program at the UNICOR facility. In 2012, dozens of correctional officers assigned to overseeing the recycling program filed lawsuits against FCI Marianna’s UNICOR, claiming that they were exposed to toxic conditions when the computers were recycled.

They allegedly suffered illness as a direct result of being exposed to toxic dust containing particles of lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury and possibly other substances. The lawsuits stated the Federal Bureau of Prisons failed to have proper safety measures in place leading to severe loss of their quality of life.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at FCI Marianna are from 8:15 a.m. to  3:15 p.m on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.

Visits for the camp are scheduled from 8:15 a.m. to  3:15 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.

The maximum number of visitors an inmate may have at one time is five, 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.

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 may bring the following items into the institution:

• One clear change purse no larger than 10 inches in length or width 
• $25 in $1 bills and coins
• Five diapers
• Three clear plastic bottles (all formula or milk must be in factory sealed containers only)
• Three jars of food (in factory sealed container only)
• One spoon
• One change of clothes for infants under 3 years of age
• Life saving medication which will be placed at the Visiting Officer's desk for distribution

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 not allowed in the institution. These items must be returned to the inmate visitor's personal vehicle.

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

The following list is NOT allowed to be worn to visits.

• Any see-through or sleeveless blouses, sleeveless tee shirts
• Skirts and dresses more than 1" above the knee
• Wraparound skirts, sleeveless dresses
• Spandex, any form fitting clothing
• Easily removed hair pieces or wigs (unless medically approved)
• Caps, hats, shorts and clothing with logos that may be offensive in any way or is gang related
• Shorts, regardless of the length of the shorts or age of visitor.
• Culottes or Capris are allowed but cannot be higher than mid-calf in length
• Clothing that is tan, khaki, or orange in color, and resembles an inmate uniform, will not be permitted at the FCI.
• Clothing that is brown or green in color, and resembles an inmate uniform, will not be permitted at the satellite camp.
• Solid white t-shirts are not allowed
• Any type of camouflage clothing is not permitted.

Dresses should be no higher than the bottom of the knee. No bare feet (including babies), open toe shoes, flip flops, slip on shoes with no backs, or sandals, are allowed in the institution.

At the discretion of the Operations Lieutenant or IDO, clothing resembling the style or color of inmate clothing (i.e., khaki, white, gray or camouflage in color clothing) and revealing clothing will not be allowed to be worn into the institution.

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 Marianna.
• 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.

The monthly spend limit at FCI Marianna is $360 per inmate.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Anger Management
• Non-Residential Sex Offender Treatment Program
• STAGES for inmates with serious mental illness
• Drug Abuse Education Course
• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) for male inmates only
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Narcotics Anonymous
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• Literacy
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Adult Continuing Education (ACE) classes include: Parenting, Financial Management, Conversational Spanish, Health Education, Career Planning, Career Counseling, and Basic Study Skills
• Advanced occupational Education options at FCI Marianna include education in K-9 training, Business Foundations, Electrical Helper and Refrigerant Certification. The camp offers K-9 training, Building Maintenance, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Lube Technician, Mechanic Technician, Safety Technician, Horticulture, Building and Trades Core, and Plumbing Helper
• FCI Marianna offers apprenticeships in HVAC, HVAC Helper, Electrician, and Plumbing
• UNICOR facility that handles recycling activities and services

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Marianna

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Marianna

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Marianna 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 Marianna report that the work is hard, but they have supportive management that actively helps you succeed. There are plenty of opportunities for advancement, and the salary and benefits are considered to be the biggest perk of being employed with the Bureau of Prisons.