Canaan U.S. Penitentiary

General Prison Information

Official Prison Name: Canaan U.S. Penitentiary
Prison Code: CAA
Prison Type: U.S. Penitentiary
Region: Northeast Region
State: Pennsylvania
Security Level: High

Contact Information

Here you have the street address and mailing address for Canaan U.S. Penitentiary. Use the mailing address if you are mailing a letter or package to an inmate there, and make sure to use the physical address if you need to know the location of the facility.

Mailing Address

Be sure to also read the Inmate Mail and Package Procedures information on this page if you are going to send something to an inmate so that you correctly address the item, and use the right procedure for sending a package or letter. If you do not use the correct steps, the package or letter could not get delivered.

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
USP Canaan
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 300
Waymart PA, 18472

Street Address / Prison Location

Use the street address if you plan to visit a prisoner. Make sure to read the Inmate Visitation Procedures and Inmate Visitation Schedule information on this page if you are going to try to visit an inmate.

Canaan U.S. Penitentiary
3057 Easton Turnpike
Waymart PA, 18472

Phone Number

Canaan U.S. Penitentiary inmates don’t have phones, so you won’t be able to call an inmate, however, there are some times when it may be helpful to know the telephone number to the facility.

(570) 488-8000

Fax Number

Canaan U.S. Penitentiary inmates don’t have fax machines, so you can’t send a fax to your inmate, but there are cases when it may be necessary to know the fax number to the facility.

(570) 488-8130 

Email Address

The email address below is the main email for the facility. You cannot reach prisoners at this address. If you are going to email a prisoner, check out the Inmate Email information below.

CAA/PUBLICINFORMATION@BOP.GOV

Inmate and Staff Statistics

Total Inmates:   1,576 

Inmate Email

To email a letter to a prisoner at Canaan U.S. Penitentiary you must follow an exact process to ensure that the letter gets to the inmate.

TRULINCS – Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System

Federal prisoners are allowed to email letters only from persons listed on their approved contact list. An prisoner has to make a request to recieve and send emails with someone by placing them in their contact list.

Every email is subject to monitoring. Prison inmates must consent to being monitored when they sign up to participate in the email program. Inmate contacts give their consent to email monitoring when they agree to corresponding with the prisoner and are reminded each and every time that they get an email message from the inmate.

When a person is approved they will get an email confirmation which sends them to CorrLink at www.corrlink.com.
CorrLink Inmate Email System

Email correspondence must not endanger the public or the security, safety, or operation of the prison. Also, the emails cannot exceed 13,000 characters. Emails that are not consistent with these rules will not get sent.

Inmate Internet Access

Federal prisoners are not allowed to access the web.

Inmate Mail and Package Procedures

There are certain protocols that you must follow when sending mail to a federal prisoner. If you don’t follow these rules then the mail might not get delivered.

before you send a letter or package, you should read the sections below:

Mail Monitoring

Canaan Federal Prison guards will open and inspect and read all received general packages and mail. Received general packages and mail is read as frequently as is necessary to keep security or watch problems having to do with an inmate.

How to Address a Letter to an Inmate

Below is the proper format for how you need to address a letter or package to a prisoner at Canaan Federal Prison:

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
USP Canaan
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 300
Waymart PA, 18472

To read the entire Bureau of Prisons Policy on Correspondence, click here: Bureau of Prisons – Correspondence Policy

Inmate Money

Every federal prison has a Commissary which was created to provide inmates an account for prisoner funds and for purchasing things not provided by the Bureau of Prisons.

How to Send an Inmate Money

Friends, family, or other people can add money into these Commissary accounts using Western Union and the U.S. Postal Service.

Via U.S. Postal Service: An inmate’s family and friends can to send prisoners money in postal mail and must send funds to the following address and follow the rules given below:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Insert Valid Committed Inmate Name
Insert Inmate Eight-Digit Register Number
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

The money has to be in the form of a money order that is made out to the prisoner’s full committed name and complete eight-digit register number. It is best if you use a U.S. Postal Service money order, since all non-postal money orders processed through the National Lockbox will be subject to a 15-day hold, and in this time the prisoner will not get the funds. The Bureau of Prisons will return to the sender any funds that don’t have valid prisoner info but only if the envelope has a return address. Cash and personal checks will not be deposited to the prisoner’s account so do not send checks or cash.

Via Western Union Quick Collect Program: Prisoner’s friends and family may also send prisoners money using Western Union’s Quick Collect Program. Money sent to a prisoner with the Western Union Quick Collect Program can be sent via one of these methods:

1. At Western Union location using cash. In order to locate the closest agent, you should call 1-800-325-6000 or visit www.westernunion.com.
2. On the phone with a credit or debit card: Call 1-800-634-3422 and choose phone prompt option 2.
3. On the web with a credit or debit card: Visit www.westernunion.com and choose “Quick Collect.”

For the Western Union Quick Collect transaction, this info has to be included:

1. Correct and valid Inmate Eight-Digit Register Number (entered with no spaces or dashes) followed immediately by Inmate’s Last Name
2. Committed Inmate Full Name entered on Attention Line
3. Code City: FBOP, DC

If the wrong register number and/or name are used and accepted and sent to the wrong inmate, the funds might not be returned.

For additional info about how to send a prisoner money, check out the official Bureau of Prisons website:
Bureau of Prisons – Inmate Money

Inmate Locator

Federal inmates are often transported to different correctional facilities throughout the country, so sometimes you may have to locate where an inmate is located using the inmate locator. Click on the link here to locate an federal inmate.
Inmate Search

Inmate Visitation Schedule

Visiting hours are from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as every federally recognized holiday.

Inmate Visitor Procedures

Every prison has its own rules for prison visitation and they change frequently. The information below could be out of date when you are reading this, so make sure to also check the prison’s website to find the latest rules for visitation.

Visitation Sign-In and Check-In

The entrance guard ensures each visitor signs the prison visitors log when they enter the prison and upon leaving.

Identification Required

Photo ID of all visitors is required. Appropriate forms of ID are Driver’s License and Social Security Card; but, a state issued photo id is OK.

For all of the things shown below, go to the official prison website as this info changes frequently:

• Visitation Rules
• Visitation Dress Code
• Things You Can and Cannot Take to Visitation
• Special Rules For Children, Special Visits, Pastoral or Attorney Visits

To read the entire Canaan U.S. Penitentiary Visitation Guide click: Inmate Visitation Instructions

Prison Jobs & Hiring

Trying to find a correctional facility job? Do you have any prior experience? Have you worked at a prison previously?

If so, go to: Canaan U.S. Penitentiary Jobs

Website

The official website: Canaan U.S. Penitentiary Website

Tell Your Story – Write a Review of Canaan U.S. Penitentiary

Have you ever spent any time in Canaan U.S. Penitentiary? Do you know someone that spent time there? Have you ever been to visit a prisoner there?

If you have, then you should tell us about it. Write about your experience so other people can learn what to expect.

Things you can write in your review:

• Prison conditions
• Prison layout and facility
• Staff and guards
• Commissary and food
• Visitation
• Inmates
• Safety
• Gangs
• Inmate activities and programs

If you are currently an inmate at Canaan U.S. Penitentiary, include your address if you would like people to be able to send you a letter.