Federal Correctional Institution - Otisville

Federal Correctional Institution - Otisville, or FCI Otisville, is a medium-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp and a detention center (FDC). This facility was opened for operation in 1980 and is located in southeastern New York.

The male-only institution houses a total of 829 inmates - 707 at the FCI and FDC and 122 at the camp. The inmates at the FCI live in two-person cells, and inmates in the Otisville camp have an open communal living area in cubicles and dormitories.

Notable inmates include Jersey Shore star Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino, who is currently serving a sentence of 8 months in FCI Otisville after being found guilty of tax fraud in 2018. Dean Skelos, former majority leader of the New York state senate, is serving more than 4 years in prison after being convicted of public corruption, and Billy McFarland, the organizer and promoter of the fraudulent Fyre Festival, is currently serving six years for wire fraud.

Prison Insights

Visiting hours at FCI Otisville are on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Federal Holidays from 8:00 a.m.to 2:45 p.m

Visits for the camp will be on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal Holidays between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m

A maximum number of four (4) adult visitors and four (4) children may visit an inmate at one 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

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:

• One small clear transparent purse
• Money for the vending machines (no bills larger than $5)
• A reasonable amount of feminine hygiene items
• A reasonable amount of infant food and care items
• Life saving medication

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 not allowed in the institution. Or, you can return the items to your personal vehicle.

Cell phones, pagers, cameras, or 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.

Visitors who are not properly attired will be denied a visit.

Visitors are not allowed to wear suggestive, provocative or otherwise revealing clothing when visiting an inmate.

Visitors are not to wear Khaki colored clothing at any time. Inappropriate slogans and/or depictions on clothing are prohibited.

The following restrictions on clothing will be strictly enforced:

Tops should cover the upper body, including stomach, chest/breasts, and back. Sun dresses, sleeveless shirts/blouses, sheer or low-cut blouses, halter tops, or spaghetti strapped shirts will not be permitted to be worn during visiting. No see-through material will be permitted. No sweat pants will be allowed.

Female visitors will not be permitted to wear cut off Shorts, or culottes. Shorts, skirts or dresses must not be shorter than three (3) inches above the center of the knee for persons 16 years of age and older. Spandex, leotards, form fitting clothing or pants with holes are not permitted during visiting.

Hats, caps, bandanas or any other type of headgear, scarves, or gloves are not permitted on any visitor. The exception is religious headwear identified as the following: kufis, yarmulkes, turbans, crowns, and headbands, as well as scarves, head wraps or anything covering the natural hair for orthodox Muslim and Jewish women.

Visitors will not remove their religious headwear and it will not be searched other than through a metal detector. If there is reasonable suspicion that contraband is present, then the policy governing searches of non-inmates will be enacted and adhered to.

Shoes, for safety reasons, must be worn at all times by all visitors, including children. Flip flops, crocs and shower shoes are prohibited from entering into the institution. Open toed shoes that have a strap around the back of the ankle may be worn.

Initial determination whether clothing is appropriate will be made by the front entrance officer\or camp visiting room officer. The Duty Officer and/or shift Lieutenant will be notified to make the final determination to allow or disallow the visitor to enter when there is a doubt. If it is determined the clothing is inappropriate, the visitor will not be permitted to enter the institution.

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 FCI Otisville.
• 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 Abuse Education Course
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Literacy
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Adult Continuing Education (ACE)
• Parenting
• Advanced occupational education courses in Computer Skills, Floor Care Maintenance, Custodial Technician, Horticulture/Landscape, Textiles, and Production.
• UNICOR facility produces electronics and plastics. (FCI Only)

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Otisville

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Otisville

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Otisville 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 FCI Otisville report that it was a stressful work environment and the hours were long. It is a stable place to have a career, and the salary and benefits are considered the best part of being employed at FCI Otisville.