McRae Correctional Institution

McRae Correctional Institution is a privately owned low-security facility for male inmates located in Telfair County, Georgia. It has a capacity of 2,275 prisoners, but currently houses 1,627. The housing units are dormitory style and two-person cells. 

This facility is owned by CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, contract prisons are secure institutions operated by private corporations, and the majority of inmates are sentenced criminal aliens who might be deported when they complete their sentence.

In 2014, the ACLU of Georgia reported that CI McRae showed, “a record of violations of constitutional and Bureau of Prisons standards governing the medical treatment of prisoners.”

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visitation at McRae Correctional Institution occurs on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.  Visitation will run from 8:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Visitation is limited to authorized visitors. Authorized visitors are individuals (family, friends, and associates) that have established relationship with the inmate prior to confinement and the relationship can be verified. Number of visitors per inmate is four (4) not including toddler children (ages six (6) and under).

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

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

Visitors 16 years of age or older must have a current government-issued photo ID like a driver’s license, state ID, military ID, or passport. A birth certificate is not a proper form 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.

Cell phones, pagers, cameras, or other electronic devices are not allowed in the visiting room.

You can’t bring anything into the institution to give to an inmate. All authorized items must be kept in your car.

All visitors must be dressed in an appropriate manner. Any visitor who arrives inappropriately dressed will be denied the privilege of visiting.

Visitors are not allowed to wear the following items of clothing while on a visit:

• Shorts
• Shower shoes or house slippers
• Thong sandals
• See-through clothing
• Clothing exposing the midsection
• Tank tops or halters
• Headgear-except for religious reasons
• Military clothing
• Dresses or skirts shorter than 2 inches above the knee
• Hot pants
• Spandex attire
• Any item deemed inappropriate by the Shift Supervisor
• Any items of jewelry worn by the visitor on the visit must be declared and inspected by the Lobby Officer prior to admission to the Visiting Room.

Visitors are authorized to bring the following items into the visiting room:

1. Female visitors are allowed to bring a reasonable amount of personal hygiene items into the visiting room. These purses, along with attorney briefcases or other approved items will be searched. Lockers are provided for visitor usage.
2. Five diapers, a plastic bottle and a pacifier will be permitted in the visiting room.
3. $20.00 in change for use in the vending machines.

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 that are deposited into their commissary accounts.

Wachovia Lockbox

1. Obtain money orders and / or cashier’s checks made payable to inmate. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.

2. Mail money orders and / or cashier’s checks in envelopes addressed in the following manner: CCA Inmate Trust
(Inmate Last Name, Inmate First Name / Inmate CCA Commissary #)
Facility: MCRAE
P.O. Box 933488
Atlanta, GA 31193-3488 

3. Make sure senders first and last name and return address is on the envelope.

4. Do NOT include and correspondence such as letters, cards, pictures, or packages with a money order or cashier’s check. None of these items sent to this address will be forwarded to the inmate or returned to sender.

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, electronics, 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)
• GED
• Adult Education in Spanish
• High School and Post-Secondary Education (Paid Correspondence Courses)
• Vocational training in Carpentry, Commercial Drivers License (CDL), Computer Applications, Construction and Building Trades, Culinary Arts, Electrical, Horticulture and Landscaping, HVAC, Masonry, Painting, Plumbing, Workforce Readiness, and Veterinary Technician

Pictures of McRae Correctional Institution

Careers at McRae Correctional Institution

If you are interested in pursuing a career with this private facility, you can find available positions at McRae CI by visiting the CoreCivic website.

CoreCivic is the leading, national provider of high-quality corrections and detention management services, providing effective programs that enhance public safety and prepare individuals for success after release.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with more than 70 facilities nationwide, CoreCivic employees are driven by a deep sense of service, high standards of professionalism and a responsibility to better the public good.

CoreCivic offers more than just a job, but the start of a successful career. They provide a supportive environment where employee growth is promoted, plus a comprehensive benefits package & competitive wages, PTO & paid holidays, and paid job training & other great incentives.