Federal Correctional Institution - Seagoville

Federal Correctional Institution - Seagoville is a low-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp and detention center (FDC). It is located in Seagoville, Texas, (11 miles southeast of Downtown Dallas) and the FCI holds a total of 1,892 male offenders, while the satellite camp houses 177 inmates.

Inmates at FCI Seagoville live in two, three, and five-person rooms, while the inmates at the camp live in dormitories. And, those in the detention center are housed in two-person cells.

FCI Seagoville has quite the history. It opened in 1940 as the Federal Reformatory for Women in Seagoville. And, after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the government converted it into a Federal Detention Station that housed Americans of Japanese, German, and Italian descent. Basically, it was an internment camp for Americans classified as “enemy aliens.”

After World War II ended, the facility became a minimum-security prison for male offenders. During the 1960s, it housed young male offenders under the Youth Corrections Act, with the maximum age of inmates being 27.

In 1979 it became a federal prison camp, and in 1981 it became FCI Seagoville.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at FCI Seagoville and the camp are currently on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays, from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM.

Visiting hours at the detention center are on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM.

The maximum number of visitors an inmate may have at one time is five, including children.

Weekday visitation at the FCI has been temporarily suspended during the renovation of the Front Lobby. Visiting at the FCI will only be held on weekends and holidays between 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. Please adjust your plans accordingly.

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 are not authorized to bring any item into the institution to give to an inmate. Lockers are not available to visitors for the storage of personal items, so 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.

Only one (1) small (half-gallon size) clear, transparent purse or clear zip lock bag may be taken into the institution and Satellite Camp.

Currency will be in $1.00 (one) and $5.00 (five) dollar bills. The visitor may be required to remove from the institution items considered to be contraband.

The following infant care items are allowed:

• Two (2) see- through baby bottles (one of which may be a sipper cup)
• Four (4) diapers
• Three (3) unopened jars of baby food
• One (1) small plastic spoon
• One (1) set of baby clothes

Staff will notify the IDO and Operation Lieutenant if a visitor appears to be under the influence of intoxicants. Visitors who appear to be under the influence of intoxicants will be denied entry into the institution.

Smoking is not permitted inside the Visiting Room. Tobacco products, matches and lighters are prohibited.

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.

The following restrictions will be used as guidelines for appropriate dress:

• No see-through or provocative garments 
• No plunging necklines 
• Hem of dress must be at the bend of the knee or middle of the knee when standing 
• No wrap-around skirts or mini skirts
• No strapless/sleeveless clothing of any type, except for children 10 years of age or younger 
• No form-fitting clothing. (Stirrup pants, leggings, or bodysuits, hip huggers, or spandex pants
• No shorts or short pants, except for children 10 years of age or younger
• No khaki or camouflage colored pants or shirts
• Appropriate footwear is required. No shower shoes, flip-flops or open toed shoes
• No hats of any type
• No athletic shorts/sweat suits/wind suits; Athletic Jerseys 
• No shoes with heels greater than three inches
• No pajamas or camouflage clothing allowed
• No pants with any metal other than necessary rivets, buttons, or snaps 
• No sagging pants/jeans 
• No clothing resembling any type of gang affiliation

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 Seagoville.
• 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

• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Drug Abuse Education Course
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Literacy Classes
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Advanced occupational education in Auto Mechanic, Automotive Technician, Computer Graphics and Design, Construction Tech, Core Construction, HVAC, Landscape Design, and Turfgrass.
• UNICOR facility produces clothing and textiles
• Health and Wellness programs that include fitness and music

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Seagoville

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Seagoville

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Seagoville 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 Seagoville are extremely positive, with most saying that it was a good work environment where you learn something new everyday, and the salary and benefits are well above average.