Federal Correctional Institution - El Reno

Federal Correctional Institution - El Reno is a medium-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp that is located in El Reno, Oklahoma on the Fort Reno military reserve. 

FCI El Reno houses a total of 1,116 male offenders, and it opened in 1933 as a place for younger inmates to serve time. But, the facility opened to all ages in the 1970’s. Inmates at the FCI are housed in two-person cells, and inmates at the camp are housed in dormitories, which are divided into two and four person cubicles.

The facility has a metal factory run by UNICOR that employs inmates.  FCI El Reno also contains one of the two dairy farm operations within the whole Federal Bureau of Prisons, and it employs many of the offenders.  

In July 2015, President Obama visited FCI El Reno making him the first president in history to visit a Federal Prison.

Prison Insights

Both the FCI and satellite camp share the same visiting hours on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Federal Holidays from 8:00 am to 3:00 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 five adult visitors, not including children, will be permitted for each inmate each day. Children will be limited to five per inmate.

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 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.

Female visitors must wear a brassiere and other undergarments without any exception. Visitors, including minors over age ten, will dress appropriately and avoid clothing styles that are sexually suggestive or could easily be confused with inmate clothing (i.e., khaki). It is prohibited for a visitor to wear open-toed shoes or high heels, for visitor safety.

Each adult visitor is only allowed one see through coin purse (no larger than 9"x 9"). Visitors will only be permitted to carry two diapers and one baby bottle per baby (if applicable) into the visiting room. Baby food must be store-bought and in its original sealed container. No strollers or child carriers will be allowed.

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.

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.The process for sending money is the same for FCI El Reno and the El Reno Satellite Camp.

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 FCI El Reno.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.

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)
• Treatment for inmates who have abused drugs and/or alcohol
• GED in English and Spanish
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Apprenticeships in Dental Assistant, Drafting, Machinist, Millwright, Painter, Quality Control, Tool and Die Maker, and Welding. The camp offers an apprenticeship in Dental Assistant
• Advanced Occupational Education in Culinary Arts, Electric, Plumbing, Purchasing Agent, and Welding. The camp offers Diesel Repair and Horticulture
• Wellness Programs
• Team sports leagues for basketball, flag football, soccer, and frisbee

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - El Reno

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - El Reno

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI El Reno 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 El Reno report that it was a great experience and they learned a lot. The facility was kept nice with new equipment to use on the job.The work/life balance is above average and most even said it was a fun environment. The salaries and benefits are also good and hard to beat for the area.