Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution

General Prison Information

Official Prison Name: Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution
Prison Code: MCD
Prison Type: Federal Correctional Institution
Region: Mid-Atlantic Region
State: West Virginia
Security Level: Medium

Contact Information

Here is the street address and mailing address for Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution. Use the mailing address if you are going to send a letter or package to a prisoner there, and be sure to use the physical address if you need to know the location of Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution.

Mailing Address

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

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
FCI Mcdowell
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O.Box 1009
Welch WV, 24801

Street Address / Prison Location

Use the street address if you plan to visit a prisoner. Be sure to read over the Inmate Visitation Procedures and Inmate Visitation Schedule sections below if you are going to try to visit an inmate at Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution.

Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution
101 Federal Drive
Welch WV, 24801

Phone Number

Prisoners don’t have telephones, so you won’t be able to call inmates, however, there are some times when it may be necessary to know the telephone number to the prison.

(304) 436-7300

Fax Number

Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution inmates don’t have faxes, so you won’t be able to fax inmates, but there are times when it may be helpful to know the fax number to Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution.

(304) 436-7318 

Email Address

The email address listed below is the primary email for Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution. You cannot email inmates at this address. If you want to email a prisoner, check out the Inmate Email section on this page.

MCD/PUBLICINFORMATION@BOP.GOV

Inmate and Staff Statistics

Total Inmates:   1,027 

Inmate Email

To email a letter to an inmate you must follow an exact process to ensure that the message gets to the inmate.

TRULINCS – Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System

Federal prisoners are allowed to receive emails only from persons listed on their approved contact list. An federal prisoner has to make a request to send and recieve emails with a friend or family member by putting them into their contact list.

Every email is monitored. Prison inmates give consent to email monitoring when they agree to participate in the email system. Inmate contacts give consent to getting monitored when they agree to correspondence with the inmate and are reminded about this every time that they get an email message from the inmate.

When a contact is added to an inmates contact list that person will get an email message which sends them to the CorrLink system at www.corrlink.com.
CorrLink Inmate Email System

Emails may not endanger the public or the security, safety, or operation of the prison. Also, the emails should not be longer than 13,000 characters. Email messages that don’t follow these rules will not get sent.

Inmate Internet Access

Federal prisoners do not have access to the internet.

Inmate Mail and Package Procedures

There are special procedures that you must follow when sending a letter or package to a prisoner. If you do not then the letters and packages might be returned to you.

Before you send anything, be sure to read the links below:

Mail Monitoring

Prison officials will open and inspect and read all received general correspondence. Received general mail and packages may be read as frequently as deemed necessary to ensure security or watch problems regarding inmates.

How to Address a Letter to an Inmate

This is the proper format for how you have to address mail to a federal prisoner at Mcdowell Federal Prison:

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
FCI Mcdowell
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O.Box 1009
Welch WV, 24801

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 a bank-like account for prisoner funds and for buying things not issued by the Bureau of Prisons.

How to Send an Inmate Money

Family, friends, or other sources can deposit money into these Commissary accounts using the U.S. Postal Service and Western Union.

Via U.S. Postal Service: An inmate’s family and friends can choose to send prisoners money through postal mail and have to send it to the following address and follow the rules written 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 deposit has to be in 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 postal 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 funds that don’t have valid prisoner info but only if the envelope has an adequate return address. Checks and cash can’t 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 with 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 a physical location using cash. In order to locate the closest agent, you should call 1-800-325-6000 or visit www.westernunion.com.
2. By phone with a credit or debit card: Call 1-800-634-3422 and choose menu option 2.
3. On the web with a credit or debit card: Visit www.westernunion.com and choose “Quick Collect.”

For every Western Union Quick Collect transaction, all of this info must 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 get returned.

For additional info about how to send an inmate money, go to the official Bureau of Prisons website:
Bureau of Prisons – Inmate Money

Inmate Locator

Inmates are frequently transported to different correctional facilities around the nation, so you might need to locate the location of an inmate using the inmate locator. Follow the link here to look up a prisoner.
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 procedures for visitation and they get changed often. The policies listed below may be out of date by the time you are reading this, so make sure to also check the facility’s official website to find the latest rules for visitation.

Visitation Sign-In and Check-In

The entrance guard will make sure every visitor signs the prison visitors log when entering the visitation area and upon leaving.

Identification Required

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

For all of the points shown below, read the official prison facility website as this info is changed often:

• 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 Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution Visitation Guide go to: Inmate Visitation Guide

Prison Jobs & Hiring

Looking for a correctional facility job? Do you have any prior experience? Have you worked at a prison previously?

If so, click here: Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution Jobs

Website

The official website: Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution Website

Tell Your Story – Write a Review of Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution

Have you ever been incarcerated in Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution? Do you have a family member or friend that spent time there? Have you ever been to visit an inmate at Mcdowell Federal Correctional Institution?

If you have, then we would like you to tell us about it. Tell us about what you experienced so other people can learn what to expect.

Things you might want to put in your comment:

• Prison conditions
• Prison layout and facility
• Guards and prison staff
• Commissary and food
• Visitation
• Inmates
• Safety
• Gang activity
• Inmate programs and activities

If you are a prisoner here, leave your address if you would like people to be able to send you a letter.