Federal Correctional Institution - Gilmer

Federal Correctional Institution - Gilmer, or FCI Gilmer, is a medium-security institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. FCI Gilmer is located in West Virginia, and it houses a total of 1,471 male offenders - 1,372 at the FCI and 99 at the camp.

Inmates at FCI Gilmer are assigned a bunk in either a two or three person cell. The camp inmates have a more open living arrangement in dormitory housing.

FCI Gilmer has a history of attempted escapes and riots. In 2010, a riot took place between two rival gangs, and inmates used horseshoes, rocks, and boots to attack each other. Five inmates and one officer ended up in the hospital, and officers used tear gas to control the riot and they also put the facility under lockdown.

Prison Insights

Visiting hours at FCI Gilmer are from 8:00 a.m. to  3:00 p.m on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays at the FCI.

Visits for the camp are scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to  3:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.

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

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:

• A transparent change purse no larger than 5"x8"x4"
• $30.00 (bills no larger than five dollar bills)
• Two sanitary napkins or tampons.
• Visitors with infants may bring in four diapers, two small jars of baby food, three baby bottles with contents, one baby blanket, one package of baby wipes, one change of infant clothing, and one see-through drinking cup for small children.
• Required medications will be supervised by the Visiting Room Officers at their station and accessed by the adult when necessary

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 not allowed in the institution. These items must be returned to the inmate visitor's 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 wearing transparent clothing, spandex, halter tops, sweat pants of any type, jogging suits, sleeveless tops/dresses, shorts of any type, miniskirts, culottes, blouses or other apparel of a suggestive nature (i.e., low-cut, v-neck or any garment that reveals the mid-section) will not be admitted into the institution.

Dresses should be no higher than the bottom of the knee. No bare feet (including babies), open toe shoes, flip flops, slip on shoes with no backs, or sandals, are allowed in the institution.

Children under the age of six will be allowed to wear shorts, open toe shoes, sandals, or flip flops.

At the discretion of the Operations Lieutenant or IDO, other clothing resembling the style or color of inmate clothing (i.e., khaki, white, gray or camouflage in color clothing), may not be allowed to be worn into 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 Gilmer.
• 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
• The Resolve Program
• The Challenge Program
• Literacy
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• College Program for an Associates Degree in Business
• High School Diploma (via paid correspondence)
• Post-Secondary Programs (via paid correspondence)
• Advanced occupational education in Residential Wiring (FCI Only)
• Apprenticeships in Automobile Mechanic, Cabinet maker, Carpenter, and Electrician Maintenance
• Apprenticeships in Automobile Mechanic, Baker, Cook, Heating and Air Conditioning Installation Service, Painter, Plumber, Polished Concrete and Floor Coverings, Quality Control Inspector, Teacher Aide, and Welder/Fitter at both facilities
• Apprenticeship in Powerhouse Mechanic at the camp only
• UNICOR facility that handles fleet management and vehicular components

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Gilmer

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Gilmer

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Gilmer 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 Gilmer report that it was a great work environment and they learned a lot. The work/life balance is good, and the salary and benefits are considered average.