Federal Correctional Institution - Ray Brook

Federal Correctional Institution - Ray Brook is a medium-security federal correctional institution with a detention center that is located in Ray Brook, New York. It holds a total of 725 male offenders.

Inmates at FCI Ray Brook live in two and four-person cells.

This facility is located in Essex County, New York, which is halfway between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. It was constructed as a prison in in the late 1970s. But, before it opened it served as the Olympic Village for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Notable inmates include Eduardo Arellano-Felix, a key member of the Tijuana Cartel, who is serving a 15-year sentence for drug trafficking. He is scheduled for release in 2021.

Prison Insights

Visiting hours at FCI Ray Brook are on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM.

The maximum number of adult visitors an inmate may have at one time is five, but there is no limit on the number of children. However, all children must be accompanied by an adult.

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 and receive a black light stamp.

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 clear wallet or change purse (no larger than 5”x8”x4”) containing money and identification only
• Four baby diapers, two containers of processed baby food (commercially sealed), three baby bottles (with milk, formula or juice), one baby blanket (crib size) and one small diaper bag (paper or plastic) for baby items or female hygiene items. 

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 these items must be returned to the visitor's personal vehicle.

Cell phones, pagers, cameras, or electronic devices of any type are not authorized inside the institution.

Several other items specifically prohibited are: balloons, gum, candy, food, toys (including dolls and toy weapons), newspapers, magazines, books, legal material (unless pre-approved by memorandum), baby carriers, regular diaper bags, cosmetics, writing instruments, tobacco products, photographs, and remote control door lock devices.

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.

It is necessary to uphold standards of appropriate dress in the Visiting Room. Visitors wearing transparent clothing will not be admitted into the institution. Tank tops, muscle shirts, halter tops, short shorts, mini-skirts, culottes or excessively tight fitting clothing will not be allowed.

Shorts and skirts will be no more than six inches above the knee.

Persons wearing clothing of a suggestive or revealing nature will not be admitted into the institution.

Furthermore, any male visitor dressed in attire similar to inmate clothing, i.e. khaki pants or shirts, will not be allowed to visit.

Excluding babies, no bare feet will be permitted. Any questions regarding proper attire will be directed to the Operations Lieutenant or the Institution Duty Officer.

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 Ray Brook.
• 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 and Parenting Classes
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Advanced occupational education in Associated Certified Electronics, Business Math, Business Word, Credentialed Alcohol Substance Abuse Counselor, Customer Service Specialist, and Office Manager/Administrative Services
• Apprenticeships in Building Maintenance Repair, Career Development Technician, Education and Training, Housekeeping, and Recreation Assistant
• UNICOR facility produces clothing and textiles
• Intramural sports
• Arts and hobbycrafts including pencil art, paper art, beading, and crochet

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Ray Brook

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Ray Brook

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Ray Brook 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 Ray Brook report that it was a challenging work environment, and the salary and benefits are average.