United States Penitentiary - Leavenworth

United States Penitentiary - Leavenworth, or USP Leavenworth, is a medium-security federal prison with a minimum-security satellite camp (FPC) located in Leavenworth, Kansas, about 25 miles northwest of Kansas City.

USP Leavenworth is a civilian facility that houses 1,705 male inmates. It is one of three major prisons on federal land in Leavenworth County, Kansas. It is often confused with the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB), which is a maximum-security military facility adjacent to the Fort Leavenworth Army Base.

Inmates at the USP are housed in one-person and two-person cells. The camp houses inmates in open dormitories which contain 50 inmates each.

From 1903 to 2005, USP Leavenworth was the largest maximum-security federal prison in the United States. But, in 2005 it was downgraded to a medium-security facility.

Because it was built in the early 1900s, USP Leavenworth has a long history of notable inmates. They include former NFL quarterback Michael Vick (served 23 months for operating a dog-fighting ring), James Earl Ray (assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.), Samuel R. Caldwell (the first person to be convicted under the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937), and George “Machine Gun” Kelly (prohibition era gangster).

Prison Insights

Visiting hours at USP Leavenworth are from 8:00 a.m. to  3:00 p.m on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and federal holidays.

Visits for the FPC are scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and federal holidays.

Visiting at the USP will be determined by register number. Specifically, if the fifth digit of an inmate's register number is an odd number (1,3,5,7,9) the inmate will be allowed to visit on odd weekends throughout the month (first and third weekend).

If the fifth digit of an inmate's register number is an even number (0,2,4,6,8) the inmate will be allowed to visit on even weekends throughout the month (second and fourth).

A weekend is defined as Saturday and Sunday. Visiting on federal holidays, when the federal holiday occurs Monday through Friday, is open to all visitors: space providing. When a federal holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the rules related to alternate weekends listed above will apply.

Occasionally, a month will have five weekends. The fifth weekend will be available to all inmates.

The maximum number of visitors an inmate may have at one time is five (adults and 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:

• A transparent change purse or wallet
• $20.00 (bills no larger than five dollar bills) for the vending machines
• Visitors with infants may bring in diapers, wet wipes, clear plastic baby bottles, and sealed baby food

Visitors are not authorized to bring any item into the institution to give to an inmate. Lockers are available to visitors for the storage of personal items or you can keep them in your vehicle.

Cell phones, pagers, cameras, or electronic 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.

Female Dress Requirements: No sleeveless shirts or sleeveless dresses, see-through garments, clothing items containing rips, tears, cuts, or holes to include factory made, spandex attire, sweat clothes (i.e. loose_fitting sweatpants or sweatshirts), white undershirts worn alone, shirts with zippers, hooded shirts, bib overalls, wraparound skirts, shorts, khakis, skirts or dresses with slits that exceed two (2) inches above the knee, or sandals/open-toed shoes.

Children under the age of ten (10) may wear shorts but cannot exceed two (2) inches above the knee.

Male Dress Requirements: No shorts, cutoffs, sandals, tank tops, white undershirts worn alone, khaki clothing that can be mistaken for inmate clothing, or hooded shirts.

Outer coats are not permitted in the Visiting Room. Visitor lockers are provided for the period of the 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.

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 USP Leavenworth.
• 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.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Drug Education Classes
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Parenting and Adult Continuing Education Classes
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Advanced occupational education in Hospitality Employment and Retail Therapy (HEART) and Janitorial
• USP Leavenworth offers vocational training in Graphic Arts and Custodial Maintenance
• UNICOR facility that handles recycling activities and services, and also produces clothing and textiles

Pictures of United States Penitentiary - Leavenworth

Careers at United States Penitentiary - Leavenworth

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at USP Leavenworth 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.

According to reviews from employees at USP Leavenworth, the work environment is a positive one, with an above average work/life balance and competitive compensation and benefits.