Federal Correctional Complex - Oakdale

The Oakdale Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Oakdale) is a federal prison complex for male prisoners located in Louisiana, and it contains both the Federal Correctional Institution, Oakdale (FCI Oakdale) and Federal Detention Center, Oakdale (FDC Oakdale).

FCI Oakdale is a low-security federal correctional institution for male offenders. FDC Oakdale (also known as FCI Oakdale II) is an administrative facility that houses male pre-trial and holdover inmates. It also has an adjacent satellite prison camp which houses minimum-security inmates.

Inmates at the FCI live in housing units that have a dorm structure, divided between two and four-person pods. Inmates at the FDC are housed in two-person cells, and inmates at the camp are housed in dormitories.

Currently, Bernard Ebbers, the former CEO of Worldcom, is incarcerated at FCI Oakdale after being convicted of orchestrating an $11 billion accounting fraud that brought down the telecommunications company in 2002. He is serving a 25-year sentence and will be released in 2028.

Former CFO of Enron, Andrew Fastow, was also incarcerated at FCI Oakdale. He served five years after pleading guilty to wire and securities fraud for his role in Enron’s collapse in 2001.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting Hours at FCC Oakdale are on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal Holidays from 8:15 am to 3:00 pm.

The visiting rules and regulations are the same for all facilities in the complex.

Routinely, only five visitors, including adults and minor children, will be allowed to visit an inmate at a time

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 and an ION spectrometry device, plus you will be stamped with ultra violet ink.

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 16 years of age or older must have a current government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID, passport). Birth certificates and expired photo IDs are not proper forms of identifications.

Visitors are NOT PERMITTED to bring any tobacco products, handbags, purses, shopping bags, food items (including gum), etc., into the visiting room.

The only medication allowed into the visiting room will be the amount of medication needed by the visitor during the visit, and this must come from an authorized prescription bottle. The Health Services Department will be available if questions arise concerning the need for medication to enter the institution.

NOTE: All medications will be maintained at the visiting room officer's station.

Only those items needed for an infant's stay will be authorized in the visiting room. This includes the following items:

1) 1 - Clear Diaper Bag not to exceed 12" x 12" x 4"
2) 2 - Disposable diapers
3) 1 - Container of baby wipes
4) 1 - 24 oz. of formula mix, pre-mixed in bottles
5) 1 - Jar of baby food, plastic, unopened
6) 1 - Plastic serving spoon 

All items entering the visiting room will be thoroughly searched and visually inspected by the front entry officer prior to admission.

Visitors may take a small clear coin purse and $30.00 in coins into the visiting room for use in the vending machines. No paper currency will be allowed.

All visitors will be dressed appropriately for a business setting. Required dress includes suitable shoes and clothing. If the front entry officer determines a visitor’s attire is questionable, the Operations Lieutenant will be notified and will make the decision whether or not to allow the visitor to enter the institution.

The following list will be considered inappropriate attire for visitors.

• Sleeveless blouses, tank tops, halter tops 
• Shorts
• Shower shoes, slippers, house shoes, open toe, or open back shoe
• See-through clothing or low cut blouses revealing cleavage
• Clothing exposing the midsection
• Tan or fatigue colored slacks or shirts
• Dresses or skirts above knees
• Spandex, tight fitting, contoured type attire
• Head coverings, hoods, hats, caps, scarves, wigs, unless medically documented or associated with religious events
• Excessively loose fitting, sagging, or dragging apparel which may appear associated with any gang
• Sweat suits or wind suits 

If the Operations Lieutenant determines the visitor is not dressed appropriately for the visiting room, the visitor will be denied entrance based on the inappropriate dress.

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.

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 prisoners at every facility at FCC Oakdale.

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 FCC Oakdale.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.

​Programs For ​Inmates

FCI Oakdale:

• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Treatment (NR-DAP)
• Drug abuse education course
• GED
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Parenting Program
• Literacy
• Adult Continuing Education (ACE)
• High School Diplomas and Post-Secondary Programs via paid correspondence
• Apprenticeships in Building Trades and Horticulture
• UNICOR facility that produces clothing and textiles
• Intramural sports
• Organized fitness programs such as run/walk clubs, fitness clubs, and a wellness program.
• Music program that includes instruction in guitar and percussion

FDC Oakdale:

• Stress Management
• Anger Management
• 40-Hour Drug Education Program
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Drug Abuse Education
• GED
• Literacy
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Parenting Program
• Adult Continuing Education
• High School Diplomas and Post-Secondary Programs via paid correspondence
• Apprenticeship in Welding (camp only)
• Fitness and Wellness programs
• Intramural sports
• Music program

Pictures of Federal Correctional Complex - Oakdale

Careers at Federal Correctional Complex - Oakdale

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCC Oakdale 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 FCC Oakdale report that it is a great place to work, and management is very helpful. Jobs at FCC Oakdale offer an excellent work/life balance, plus good pay and benefits.