United States Penitentiary - Atlanta

Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this is a medium-security facility for male inmates that includes general housing units, a detention center, and a satellite minimum-security prison camp. The Atlanta USP was opened in 1902 and is managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

It can house up to 2,500 inmates at one time. Currently, there are approximately 1,953 male inmates incarcerated at the main camp, and 120 in the minimum-security portion of the facility.

All inmates, upon arrival, are placed in administrative detainment until processed into the system. After completion of a series of interviews with the Captain, they are placed into general population.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Currently, visiting at this prison has been suspended until further notice.

Visiting hours at Atlanta USP are on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. You can also visit on federally recognized holidays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

On Saturday and Sunday, an even/odd schedule will be used for Atlanta USP General Population inmates only. The fifth digit of an inmate's register number is utilized when determining if he has an even or odd number.

Each Atlanta USP inmate is allowed a maximum of five visits per month, but visits on holidays do not count toward that total.

Each inmate is allowed a maximum of four adults per visit and three children. All minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Authorized visitors who can visit an inmate include family, friends, and associates that have established relationships with the prisoner prior to confinement. The relationship must be verifiable, and you can't visit unless the inmate puts you on their visiting list.

Once the inmate submits their list, a correctional counselor will provide them with a visiting form for each requested visitor, and the inmate is responsible for mailing these out and letting the potential visitor know that they need to fill it out and return the forms the unit manager.

The unit counselor will determine if a visitor application is approved, making 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 has been approved or refused, and it's the inmates responsibility to notify the visitor. This process is the same for both adult and minor visitors.

When you arrive at Atlanta USP for a visit, there is a designated parking area that you are required to park in. Please follow the visitor parking road signs to your parking space.

All visitors are subject to a visual and pat search by an officer. You will also be scanned by a metal detector. Any item that you bring into the facility will be opened and search by a staff member, and anyone who refuses a search of themselves or their property will not be allowed to visit with the inmate.

You will also receive a special stamp when entering a visit that can only be seen under blacklight. The stamp will be checked when you enter and exit the visiting room.

You can bring up to $20 in change into the visiting room to use for vending machines, but all other property must be left in your vehicle. You cannot bring any food items into the visit, and you cannot bring in diaper bags. You can, however, bring up to five diapers, a plastic bottle, and a pacifier. All baby food must be in an unopened, sealed container.

You must bring a valid photo ID with you to the visit, like a state or federal ID card, valid state driver's license, current passport, or resident alien card. Birth certificates or Mexican Consular identifications are not valid forms of ID.

Visitor Dress Code

• No shirts that are low cut or revealing, no tank tops or halter tops.
• No clothes that are see-through, extremely tight, or reveal the mid-drift
• No sleeveless or strapless dresses, no swimsuits
• No bandanas, camouflage military clothing, or clothing that resembles security uniforms
• No gang or the scene or distracting messages, shapes, or designs.
• No coats or jackets. No hooded shirts, raincoats, or other outer garments
• No hats, except as religiously recognized. No sunglasses or excessive jewelry
• No khaki clothing because it resembles an inmate
• No open-toed shoes, sandals, flip-flops, house shoes, or shower shoes
• Women must wear bras

There is no limit on the amount of mail that inmate receives, but all correspondence must have the complete name, registration number, and the facility name and address.

Inmates cannot receive packages through the mail. The only exception to this rule is sending release clothing. You can only send this package 30 days prior to the inmates release date and it must be approved by the inmates Unit Team.

Any books, newspapers, or magazines must come directly from the publisher via a subscription or mail order.

How to Call an Inmate

Federal inmates are not allowed to have cellphones and they can't receive inbound calls. They can make phone calls during approved hours, and they must pay for them with the money that is on their personal account or call collect.

All phone calls are limited to 15 minutes, and they are also subject to monitoring and recording.

Prisoners can call both landlines and cell phones. They must call approved numbers, and all that takes is adding the contact and phone number into their TRULINCS contact list, which is the same way inmates can send and receive emails.

How to Send Money

Sending money is one of the 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. However, it is extremely difficult for prisoners to have any level of comfort when living with just the items that are prison-issued.

For federal prisoners, you can send money to their trust account electronically via MoneyGram, Western Union, or by money order directly from the United States Postal Service.

United States Postal Service

Send your MONEY ORDER to the following address:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Inmate name
Inmate number
P.O. Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

To get step-by-step details on how to send money to an inmate at USP Atlanta, click here. It is important to remember that you ALWAYS include their name and registration number on everything that you send.

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:

1. Wait until an inmate has physically arrived at a Aliceville FCI.

2. Gather the information you'll need. Which includes the inmate’s name and number.

3. Visit moneygram.com to complete your payment.

Information needed to complete MoneyGram payment:

1. Account Number: Inmate's eight-digit register number with no spaces or dashes, followed immediately by the inmate's last name (example: 12345678DOE).

2. Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons

3. City & State: Washington, DC

4. Receive Code is always: 7932

5. 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.

Inmates are able to spend their trust money on phone calls, emails, and lastly, commissary. The commissary is the prison store where the inmates are able to purchase things like beverages, food items, over the counter medications, personal hygiene items, clothing, and other miscellaneous products to help make their stay more comfortable.

However, please remember that there is an economy in prison just like in the real world. Inmates can use the money on their account to buy things for other inmates in exchange for drugs and paraphernalia. This can get your loved one into a lot of trouble, so keep track of what you are sending and be aware of any suspicious behavior.

​Programs For ​Inmates

Below is a simplified list of programs that are offered to the offenders. USP Atlanta stands on the principle that education is the foundation for inmates to fully rehabilitate and thrive in society after release.

It is mandatory to participate in the Literacy Program if an inmate does not have at least a GED or High School diploma. The course is an interactive 240 hours of general education studies. This must be obtained before moving onto higher education opportunities during their stay.

Leisure and Recreation activities are also conducted by the education department. It isn’t just limited to Arts and Crafts, but also includes team sports like soccer and softball in effort to promote physical fitness and interpersonal relations.

Musical instruments are available to the inmates in the recreational area and only in the recreational area. They also provide a Reference/Reading/Leisure Library and Law Library on the premises.

Psychological services are also provided to the inmates as well as a couple of different drug education programs. It is part of Atlanta USP’s mission to provide a safe and humane environment for the rehabilitation of every incarcerated member. The initial intake screen provides an in depth psychoanalysis to provide an accurate roadmap for success.

Drug Education is available to all sentenced inmates and covers the topic of personal drug use and the correlation between drug use and crime.

The Nonresidential Drug Abuse Program (NRDAP) is the next level in drug education and it is paired with treatment for drug abuse. Inmates that participate in this program and successfully finish the classes required receive a certificate of completion

Residential Drug Abuse Program is also offered to select inmates that have applied and meet the criteria set forth in the facility handbook.

Pictures of United States Penitentiary - Atlanta

Careers at United States Penitentiary - Atlanta

If you are interested in pursuing a career at USP Atlanta, you can start by searching the many openings on USAjobs.gov.

The salary range for this facility starts at $41,000.00 and goes up into the six figures, depending on the desired position. Full-time positions offer great benefit packages for qualifying employees.

Reviews for this location rave about the awesome staff and that most considered their coworkers as family. A good work life/home life balance applies to most all positions, but the possible danger that goes with working in a prison is consistently thought to be the worst part of the job.