Federal Correctional Institution - Jesup

Federal Correctional Institution - Jesup, or FCI Jesup, is a medium-security federal correctional institution for male offenders that also has two adjacent satellite camps - one is a low-security facility (FSL) and the other is a minimum-security camp. It is located in Southern Georgia, approximately 105 miles northwest of Jacksonville, Florida.

Inmates at the FCI are housed in two-person cells, and inmates at the low and camp are housed in dormitories. There are currently 1,619 inmates at the facility - including 927 at the FCI, 143 at the camp, and 549 at the low.

One notable inmate at FCI Jesup is Christopher Chaney, a computer hacker who pleaded guilty in 2012 to gaining unauthorized access to protected computers. He had broken into the personal accounts of celebrities like Scarlett Johansson and Christina Aguilera, and then posted revealing photos of them. He is scheduled to be released in 2020.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at FCI Jesup, the FSL, and the 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.

Basic Visit Procedures and Rules

A maximum number of four (4) adult visitors may visit an inmate at one time. Children under sixteen (16) years of age do not have to be on an approved visiting list; however, they must be accompanied by an approved adult.

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.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 at the FCI and FSL will be required to pass through the metal detector prior to their entry into the institution. Any visitor unable to clear the metal detector due to Medical Implants, must provide documentation from a Licensed Medical Doctor verifying what the implant is and the area of the body affected.

Visitors to the FPC may be randomly screened using the hand-held trans-frisker. The Front Lobby Officer will report to the Operations Lieutenant or the Staff Duty Officer any visitor refusing to be processed through the metal detector.

The Operations Lieutenant and/or the Staff Duty Officer will make a final determination of whether or not to allow the visit to take place.

All visitors at the FCI and the FSL will be photographed, and stamped with invisible ink prior to being admitted into the institution. After the visit has been completed, each visitor's hand will be inspected for the invisible ink under the black light before departing the visiting room.

All visitors are to be dressed appropriately for visiting. All visitors, including children, must wear shoes at all times. Shoes must have some manner of retention. Open Toed Shoes, Flip flops, clogs, shower shoes, slippers, etc. are not allowed in the visiting room.

Heeled footwear (Stiletto heels, Pumps, etc.) and platform type soles are not allowed in Visitation. Only thin soled, closed toe shoes, and boots with heels no higher than 1/2” (athletic shoes, loafers, decks shoes, etc.) will be authorized for inmate visitors entering the FCI, FSL, and Camp.

All women must wear undergarments (bra, etc.). Dresses and skirts must extend below the bend of the knee, splits my not extend above the knee.

Military personnel must be dressed in either Class “A” or Class “B” uniform attire.

Any visitor wearing apparel of a revealing or inappropriate nature will not be allowed to enter the Visitation Area; final decision is at the discretion of the Institution.

The following items of clothing are inappropriate for visiting at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), the Federal Satellite Low (FSL), and the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) at Jesup:

• Absolutely no sagging of pants or any other type of clothing by male or female visitors 
• No provocative attire worn by men or women
• Halter tops or halter dresses, strapless dresses/tops, wrap skirts
• Underwire bras
• Tights, spandex, form fitting or overly tight fitting clothing
• Shirts and blouses with low plunging neckline, low cut back or exposed midriffs
• Tank tops, sleeveless shirts, and sheer blouses
• Shirts or pants with holes, cuts or tears
• Capris above mid-calf
• Open Toes Shoes, Flip flops, shower or slip on shoes.
• Heeled footwear (Stiletto heels, Pumps, etc.) and platform type soles.
• Hats of any type, excluding religious head wear
• Khaki, tan or orange colored pants, shirts or jumpsuits that resemble inmate attire
• Camouflage will not be permitted
• Class “C” Military BDU’s 

Visitors' personal property allowed to be taken into the visiting room is as follows:

• Change purse or plastic bag (clear), not to exceed 6” long by 6” wide by 3” deep
• Money ($25.00 maximum/no bill denomination over $5.00)
• Valet key (1 single car key)
• Comb/hair brush
• Baby bottles (must be clear plastic), not to exceed three (3)
• One (1) Clear plastic cup “Sippie Cup”
• Diapers (reasonable amount), ointment & one (1) small blanket
• Baby food factory sealed, not to exceed six (6) containers
• Baby clothes (one set)
• Medication (Life maintenance, i.e., heart, epileptic medication, etc. only. At the FCI and FSL, these medications will be maintained by the Visiting Room Officer. Diabetic medication and syringes are not considered life maintenance medications and will be stored securely in the lockers or the visitor's vehicle.
• Jewelry worn in by the visitor (not to be removed)
• Sweater/light jacket
• Three (3) feminine hygiene items

Visitors will not be allowed to bring into the visiting room the following items:

• Cosmetics of any kind, lipstick, eye liner, lip gloss, chapstick
• Keys (other than automobile door key), key chains, key fobs, automobile keyless remotes, etc.
• Pagers, cellular phones, any type of recording devices, cameras
• Magazines, newspapers, books, photographs, photo albums, personal business forms, etc.
• Baby strollers or carriers
• Billfold, wallet, pocketbook or purse
• Sunglasses
• Bobby pins, hair pins, hats, hair wraps or scarves
• Games, toys or stuffed animals
• Food and beverages
• Pens or Pencils Umbrellas
• Cigarettes, cigars or any other tobacco items (To include, smokeless tobacco)
• Food or beverages

Vending machines are available in the visiting area for visitors' use and to purchase items for inmates. They provide an assortment of sandwiches, candy, coffee, sodas, and snack items.

All other personal property will be secured in the visitor's personal vehicle or in the property lockers located in the front lobby.

All items authorized for entrance into the visiting room will be searched by the Front Lobby Officer. Visitors will not be allowed to leave money for deposit into an inmate's account or remove any item (picture ticket or food) from the visiting room at the conclusion of a visit.

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 Jesup, the FSL, 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 Jesup.
• 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 Jesup is $360 per inmate.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Drug Abuse Education Program
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• GED
• Literacy
• English as a Second Language
• Adult Continuing Education classes including Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), Legal Research, Writing and Analysis, Spanish, Basic Finance, Resume Writing, and Parenting
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Advanced Occupational Education in Commercial Wiring, Air Conditioning Technology (HVAC), Information Technology, Electrical Construction Maintenance, and Microsoft Office Applications
• UNICOR facility that produces clothing and textiles
• Team Sports and Intramural Leagues
• Fitness and Wellness Programs

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Jesup

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Jesup

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Jesup 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 Jesup are very positive, saying that it was a good work environment where you could meet many types of people, and the jobs have unlimited potential. The work/life balance is above average, the salary is high, and the benefits are excellent.