Adams County Correctional Center

Adams County Correctional Center (ACCC) is a contracted federal correctional institution that is operated by CoreCivic, a private company. It is a medium-security men’s prison located near Natchez, Mississippi, in unincorporated Adams County.

It opened in 2009, and the facility has a maximum capacity of 2,567 inmates. Most of the prisoners are illegal immigrants who have been charged with illegally re-entering the United States after deportation.

Inmates are housed in six different housing units divided into three pods that hold about 135 inmates each, and each of the pods have bunks.

When prisoners arrive at ACCC, they go through a mental health screening. And, if necessary, they are referred to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or mental health specialist for follow-up evaluation and intervention.

Back in 2012, a riot broke out at the facility reportedly due to poor medical care and subpar food. During the riot, inmates held 25 staff members hostage, and they ended up injuring sixteen staff members and killing one correctional officer.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at ACCC are between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and federally recognized holidays. A visit can last the entire time, but because of limited space, it is possible that your visit could be shortened.

Each inmate is allowed a maximum of four adults per visit and no more children than those adults can supervise. All minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Authorized visitors who can visit in an inmate include family, friends, and associates who have an established relationship 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 questionnaire 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 form to the Unit Manager.

The unit team will determine if a visitor application is approved, and 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 a requested visitor has been approved or refused, and it is the inmate’s responsibility to notify the visitor. This process is the same for both adult and minor visitors.

When you arrive at ACCC for a visit, there are designated visitor parking spaces at the West end of the main parking lot near the administration building.

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

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

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.

ACCC 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 midriff. 
• No sleeveless or strapless dresses, No swimsuits. 
• No bandanas, camouflage, military clothing or clothing that resembles security uniforms. 
• No gang or obscene or distracting messages, shapes or designs. 
• No coats or jackets/hooded shirts, raincoats or other outer garments. 
• No hats – except as religiously recognized. • No sunglasses or excessive jewelry

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

Also, you can only send cards or letters to this address. Inmates can not receive packages through the mail, with the exception of a package of release clothing, which you can’t send until 30 days prior to the release date. And, this package must be approved by the inmate’s Unit Team.

How to Call an Inmate

Federal inmates are not allowed to have cell phones 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.

Local calls cost $.06 per minute, long distance calls are $.21 per minute, calls to Mexico are $.55 per minute, and calls to Canada are $.35 per minute. All other international calls cost $.99 per minute.

There are also connection fees that range between $.06 and $.38 per minute for local calls and $.56 per minute for long distance collect calls.

Prisoners can call both landlines and cell phones. But, 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.

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

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. But, 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 via Wachovia Lockbox or Western Union.

You can send a money order or cashier’s check through the mail via the Wachovia Lockbox, or you can make a walk-in cash payment at any Western Union location or use a debit/credit card online.

If you plan on using the lockbox, mail your deposit to:

CI Adams County Correctional Institution
Inmate Name and Registration Number
PO Box 933488
Atlanta, GA 31193-3488

To get step-by-step details on how to send money to your loved one at ACCC, click here. And remember, any time you send any kind of 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 trust money on, including 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.

However, it is good to be aware that prisons have their own economy, and just like the real world, people who have a lot of money can do a lot of things - both legal and illegal. Prisoners can use the money in their trust account to buy things for other inmates in exchange for drugs and paraphernalia. This activity is illegal and can get the prisoner in a lot of trouble.

It 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

Many different prisons have educational and vocational programs for their inmates, as well as drug abuse treatment programs. There are many opportunities available to inmates at ACCC who want to further their education and obtain job skills. And, there is also a drug abuse program.

Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) - this is what CI Adams County provides for inmates who need help with drug addiction.

Literacy and GED Programs - Inmates can earn their high school diploma through paid correspondence. CoreCivic has also partnered with the National Institute for Adult Education, an entity of the Mexican government, to provide education in Spanish. However, there are no advanced occupational education programs at ACCC.

Vocational & Apprenticeship Training - There are many different vocational programs at CI Adams County, including Carpentry, Commercial Drivers License (CDL), Building Trades, Computer Applications, Culinary Arts, Electrical, Horticulture, HVAC, Masonry, Painting, Plumbing, Workforce Readiness, and Veterinary Technician.

Library Services and Legal Resources - CI Adams County libraries contain different periodicals, newspapers, reference materials, and fiction/non-fiction books. There are also legal resources and tools that inmates can use to work on their case.

Pictures of Adams County Correctional Center

Careers at Adams County Correctional Center

The reviews are mostly positive when it comes to working at CI Adams County. Most say it is a good place to work that has a lot of opportunity for advancement, and the nature of the job leads to close bonds among employees. 

However, there are some employees who say that there is a lack of communication and poor management.

The rate of pay is competitive, plus they offer good benefits. However, they do require long workdays (usually around 12 hours) and the breaks are short.

Because this facility specializes in illegal immigrants, it is helpful to be bilingual.