Federal Correctional Institution - Morgantown

Federal Correctional Institution - Morgantown Kennedy Center, or FCI Morgantown, is a minimum-security federal correctional institution with a detention center. This facility is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, and houses a total of 911 male inmates.

FCI Morgantown has the nickname “Club Fed” because it has a college-like campus with amenities that include a movie theater, a bocce ball court, and a basketball court.

It houses mainly white collar and non-violent offenders who live in dormitories.

This facility was dedicated in December 1968 by Senator Ted Kennedy as the Robert F. Kennedy Youth Center. And, it was designed to test the experimental unit-management model of detention.

This model promoted a more humane approach to prisoners, housing groups of prisoners together who are overseen by a specialized staff and multidisciplinary teams. The facility was the first to provide religious services, training, counseling, and rehabilitation.

A decade after it opened, FCI Morgantown transitioned from a juvenile to adult facility, and the name was eventually changed to Federal Correctional Institution, Morgantown Kennedy Center.

Prison Insights

Visiting hours at FCI Morgantown on Fridays from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

A maximum of three (3) adults are allowed to visit at one time, and there is no limit on children. However, all children under 16 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.

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:

• $20.00 in coins, ones or five dollar bills for vending machines
• A small clear change purse
• Life saving medication (kept at officers station)

Visitors with infants may carry in one small transparent diaper bag to carry the below approved items:

• Two plastic baby bottles with milk or formula
• Three extra diapers per child
• Two unopened clear jars of baby food

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.

The following items will not be allowed into the visiting room:

• cellular phones, pagers, radios, recording devices, or electronic devices of any kind
• weapons, ammunition, pocket knives, handcuffs, or handcuff keys
• alcohol or illicit drugs
• tobacco products of any kind, matches or cigarette lighters
• watches, hats or scarves
• newspapers or books
• wallets, debit or credit cards
• cosmetics of any kind
• photos, albums, or photographic material
• glass containers or cans
• baby powder, ointments or creams
• purses or non-see-through diaper bags
• pens, pencils, stationary or paper of any kind
• sunglasses or umbrellas
• candy, gum, or food items

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 clothing items cannot be worn into the visiting room:

• Halter tops or midriff shirts
• Tight or form fitting shirts or pants (i.e., spandex, stirrups, Lycra, Leggings, etc.)
• All shorts worn by individuals age 16 and over
• Khaki or camouflaged clothing
• Sleeveless, strapless, or bareback blouses or dresses
• Mini-skirts, wrap around skirts, or skirts more than two inches above the knee
• Dresses or skirts with long slits in the middle or side
• See-through clothing
• Torn or severely worn jeans
• Deep v-neck blouses, shirts, or dresses
• Caps, hats, or scarves of any kind
• Long coats, sweaters and jackets that extend below the knee
• Clothing of any type which would symbolize gang activity or affiliation
• Fishnet shirts, pants or any other clothing item similar in nature
• Athletic shorts/sweatpants, hooded sweatshirts
• Open toed shoes, Flip-flops, or shower shoe style sandals

At the discretion of the Operations Lieutenant or IDO, any 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 Morgantown.
• 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 at FCI Morgantown is $360 per inmate.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP)
• Drug Education Class
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• GED
• High School Diploma
• Adult Continuing Education (ACE) courses
• Annual mock job fair and job search class
• Apprenticeship in welding
• UNICOR facility that offers call center/help desk services

Pictures of Federal Correctional Institution - Morgantown

Careers at Federal Correctional Institution - Morgantown

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at FCI Morgantown 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 Morgantown say that it is a great place to work and you can learn a lot. There is never a shortage of hours and the salary and benefits are considered to be the best part of the job.