Federal Prison Camp – Alderson

Federal Prison Camp – Alderson houses approximately 1000 inmates with a staff of approximately 180. The facility was opened in April of 1927 and has a historic significance as the first federal institution solely for the incarceration of female offenders. Today it is still an all-female facility operating as a minimum security prison camp. It is located in the Bureau of Prisons Mid atlantic region of West Virginia. 

The facility stretches across two counties and 159 acres. You will find two dormitories that house 500 inmates in each building. Both buildings offer an open floor plan that has cinder block cubicles, each holding two, 5x9 beds. Most offenders housed here are convicted of nonviolent or recreational drug-related crimes.

It was giving the nickname of “camp cupcake” after Martha Stewart received a five month sentence to be carried out at FPC Alderson.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours are Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 8:15 - 3:15, Fridays from 11:30 to 6:30, and 8:15- 3:15 on federal holidays.

Each inmate is allowed a maximum of four adults per visit and no more children than those adults can supervise. All minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Authorized visitors who can visit an inmate include family, friends, and associates who have established a relationship with the prisoner prior to confinement. Relationships must be verifiable, and you can't visit unless the inmate puts you on the visiting list.

Once the inmate requests to add someone to their visit list, a correctional counselor will provide them with the visiting questionnaire, and the inmate is responsible for mailing these out and letting the potential visitor know that they need to fill it out and return the form to the unit manager.

The unit team will determine if a visitor application is approved, and 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.

When you arrive at the facility for a visit, there will be designated visitor parking. Please follow the provided street signs to the designated visitors parking area.

All visitors are subject to a visual and pat search by an officer and 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.

You can bring up to $20 in change to the visiting room to use for vending machines, but all other property must be left in your vehicle. You cannot bring any food items into the visit. If you are visiting with an infant, you can bring a diaper bag with diapers, a plastic bottle, blankets, toys, and a pacifier. All baby food must be in unopened, sealed containers.

You must bring a valid photo ID with you to the visit, like a state or federal ID card, driver's license, current passport, or resident alien card. Birth certificates are not valid forms of ID.

The dress code for visits is as follows:

• No shirts that are low cut or revealing, no tank tops or halter tops.
• No clothes that are see-through, extremely tight, or reveal the mid drift.
• No sleeveless or strapless dresses, no swimsuits.
• No bandanas, doo-rags, camouflage, military clothing, or clothing that resembles security uniforms.
• No gang or obscene or distracting messages, shapes or designs.
• No coats or jackets and sweatshirts, raincoats or other outer garments.
• No hats except as religiously recognized.
• No sunglasses or excessive jewelry.
• No open-toed shoes.

There is no limit on the amount of mail that inmates receive, but all correspondence must have the inmates complete name, registration number, facility name, and address.

You can only send cards, letters, paperback books, and magazines to this address. You may only send up to five books and or magazines at one time. 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.

Local calls cost $.06 cents per minute, long distance calls are approximately $0.21 per minute, calls to Mexico are $0.55 per minute, and calls to Canada or $0.35 per minute. All other international calls cost $0.99 per minute.

There could possible be connection fees that range between .06 to $0.38 per minute for local calls and $.56 per minute for long distance

Inmates will use TRULINCS to make 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, 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.

For federal prisoners, you can send money through the united 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 to the bureau of prisons using the above address.

Sending funds using MoneyGram

Inmates can receive funds at a BOP-managed facility, which are deposited into their commissary accounts. 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:

1. Wait until an inmate has physically arrived at a FPC Alderson.

2. Gather the information you'll need. Which includes the inmate’s name and number.

3. Visit moneygram.com to complete your payment.

Information needed to complete MoneyGram payment:

1. Account Number: Inmate's eight-digit register number with no spaces or dashes, followed immediately by the inmate's last name (example: 12345678DOE).

2. Company Name: Federal Bureau of Prisons

3. City & State: Washington, DC

4. Receive Code is always: 7932

5. Beneficiary: Inmate's full committed name

Sending funds using 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 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

FPC Alderson is one of six Federal and State Prisons participating in the paws4prisons service dog training program. This program gives advanced instruction in the raising and training of dogs to be placed with Veterans and Active Duty Military with PTSD, TBI and MST, as well as adolescents with physiological, physical or other disabilities.

SELF-IMPROVEMENT GROUPS:

• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 
• Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
• Gamblers Anonymous (GA)
• Self-Esteem/Psychology/Correctional Counselor
• Anger Management
• Dissolving Stress
• Domestic Violence
• Progressive Meditation
• Smoking Cessation
• Problem Solving
• Self-Relaxation Fitness Group
• Brisk Walking
• Stress Relief
• Self-Image
• Aerobics
• Yoga

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS:

• General Education Development (GED)
• Post-Secondary Education (Correspondence)
• Occupational Education in Cosmetology, Customer Service, Horticulture, Library Clerk, Medical Office Clerk, and Receptionist.
• Apprenticeship Training in Air Conditioning/Refrigeration, Cooking, Electrician, Plumbing, Powerhouse, Teacher’s Assistant, and Welding.
• English-As-A-Second Language (ESL)

 The campus offers both Law Library Services (electronically) and Leisure Library Services.

Pictures of Federal Prison Camp – Alderson

Careers at Federal Prison Camp – Alderson

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, you can find available positions at USAJobs.gov. The expected salary for a correctional officer begins around $40,000.  Reviews from employees both past and present at FPC Alderson report a good work/life balance and job security with some overtime required. However, it could be potentially dangerous, it is said the hardest part of the job is dealing with difficult coworkers. Overall, this job provides a good income and benefits.