Federal Medical Center - Carswell

The Federal Medical Center, Carswell -- or FMC Carswell -- is a federal prison located in Fort Worth, Texas, that houses female inmates of all security levels with special medical and mental health needs.

FMC Carswell also has a minimum-security camp, and is located in the northeast corner of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth (formerly Carswell Air Force Base). It is the only medical facility for women in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The main building is five stories high and has a capacity of 600 prisoners. The minimum-security prisoners live in a barracks outside of the main building. Most of the inmates at FMC Carswell have a medical condition that requires treatment, but there is also a general population of inmates who do not.

There is also an administrative high-security unit, which houses female inmates in the BOP system who have “special concerns” like violence and/or escape attempts. It also houses the only woman who is currently under a federal death sentence.

In 2009 Philip Fornaci, the director of the DC Prisoners' Project, stated that Carswell, along with FMC Butner and FMC Rochester, "are clearly the "gold standard" in terms of what BOP facilities can achieve in providing medical care" and that they had provided "excellent medical care, sometimes for extremely complex medical needs."

The current inmate population is 1,266 at FMC Carswell and 371 at the camp. The inmates at the FMC are housed in open dormitories with one-person cells. The inmates at the camp are in two-person pods.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at FMC Carswell and the Satellite Camp are on Saturday, Sunday, and Federal Holidays from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm. The Administrative Unit visiting hours are on Saturday and Sunday only from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Authorized visitors who can visit an inmate include family, friends, and associates. You can't visit an inmate unless she 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.

Inmates will be limited to six total approved adult visitors at any one time. There is no limit on the number of children. You must be 16 or older to be an adult visitor.

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.

All visitors must be dressed in an appropriate manner. Any visitor who arrives inappropriately dressed will be denied the privilege of visiting.

All visitors must be fully attired, including shoes. No open-toed shoes and no strapless heels are authorized. All shoes must be strapped to the foot, and you can’t wear slippers, shower shoes, or flip-flops.

Clothing which is similar to - and resembles the style or color of - what is issued to inmates is not allowed to be worn inside the visiting room.

Visitors should avoid wearing apparel which is revealing or suggestive, or any clothing that contains sexually suggestive/offensive writing or writing/logos that reference gangs.

Visitors can’t wear undergarments containing metal (i.e. underwire bra). Dresses or skirts must be no shorter than two inches above the knee.

The following clothing will not be permitted:

• Sheer clothing 
• Tank tops
• Halter tops
• Midriff tops
• Strapless tops or dresses
• Spandex
• Watches or other electronic wristbands
• No form fitting clothing
• No khaki or green clothing

You can bring in a clear plastic bag to carry money for the vending machine. You must also have a government-issued photo ID, like a driver’s license or passport. Everything else will be placed in a locker or you will need to leave it in your car.

Visitors with small infants can bring in diapers, plastic baby bottles, handy wipes, and uponed baby food/formula.

There are special visiting rules for the Administrative Maximum Unit. So, please contact FMC Carswell directly if you are planning to visit someone housed in the special unit.

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 FMC Carswell and the FMC Carswell 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 FMC Carswell.

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 spend limit at FMC Carswell is $360 per month.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Literacy
• GED
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Continuing Education
• High School Diplomas or Post-Secondary Programs via paid correspondence
• Advanced Occupational Education in Culinary Arts and Cosmetology (the camp offers a Horticulture Master Gardener Program and a program for National Fitness Personal Trainers)
• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Drug Education
• Alcoholic Anonymous
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Parenting Program

Pictures of Federal Medical Center - Carswell

Careers at Federal Medical Center - Carswell

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FMC Carswell 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 FMC Carswell are overwhelming positive. They report an excellent work/life balance, competitive pay and benefits, and fantastic job security. They also rave about the learning opportunities.