Federal Prison Camp - Duluth

Federal Prison Camp - Duluth is a minimum-security federal prison camp located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it currently houses approximately 595 male inmates. Duluth FPC sits on the former Duluth Air Force Base near Lake Superior.

Inmates are housed in two-person, three-person, and four-person cubicles within the five dormitories at the camp.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

The visiting hours at Duluth FPC are on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Federal Holidays from 8:15 am to 3:15 pm.

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.

No more than six visitors will be permitted for each inmate at one time.

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.

Visitors sixteen years of age and over must have valid proof of their identity with them such as a driver's license, state issued identification card, INS card, military identification, or passport. A government issued ID is the only valid photo identification accepted.

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.

The only items that visitors can bring into the visiting room are:

• one small, clear coin purse and money for vending machines
• 8 to 10 baby diapers
• 4 bottles of formula or liquid for infants
• Baby rattle or teething ring
• Two clear plastic bags (for baby article storage)
• Small, hand-carried infant seat
• Emergency medication (i.e., heart medication)

Any unauthorized items must be placed in your vehicle or a storage locker outside of the visiting room.

All visitors will be properly attired when coming into the institution to visit inmates. Visitors (including minors) wearing sexually provocative clothing will be prohibited from admission to the institution visiting room.

Examples of inappropriate dress might include: revealing attire, see through blouses, bathing suits, miniskirts, tube or strapless tops, slacks or jeans slit or cut to reveal buttocks, and a lack of proper undergarments. No open toe shoes, thongs or sandals will be worn. A determination of inappropriate attire will be made by the Visiting Center Officer, in conjunction with the Duty Officer and Operations Lieutenant.

Capri pants for inmate visitors are authorized from May 15 through September 15, but must be in good taste. Spandex, tight fitting, or extremely loose fitting capris will not be allowed. All capris must be knee length when standing and worn in a normal fashion. Sleeveless attire is not allowed.

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 a Duluth FPC.
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, electronics, 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.

The monthly spend limit for each inmate is $360.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Drug Abuse Education Course
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• GED in English and Spanish
• English as a Second Language
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Adult Continuing Education (foreign language, math, business, and real estate)
• Apprenticeships in Dentistry, Electrical, HVAC, and Plumbing
• Advanced Occupational Education in Construction Tech/Carpentry
• Parenting program
• Recreation programs with team sports, hobbies and crafts, and exercise equipment

Pictures of Federal Prison Camp - Duluth

Careers at Federal Prison Camp - Duluth

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at Duluth FPC 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 Duluth FPC report that the work/life balance is above average and the salaries and benefits are competitive.