Where to Find Official, Up‑to‑Date Information about FCI McDowell (BOP resources)

Need current population numbers? The BOP's public statistics webpage is your most direct official source. It shows the BOP's incarcerated-person population with facility-level breakdowns - so you can look up FCI McDowell specifically instead of relying on third-party summaries that might be months out of date.

1. Start at the Bureau of Prisons website - use the main BOP site as your starting point so you’re reading the official numbers.
2. Open the “Statistics” area - the BOP’s public statistics section is where they publish current incarcerated-person population data.
3. Find the facility breakdowns - look for the part of the statistics page that breaks the population down by facility.
4. Locate FCI McDowell in the facility list/table - once you’re in the facility-level breakdown, you can identify FCI McDowell and read the current count shown there.

For official rules on visiting, phone calls, and mail, check the BOP Legal Resource Guide. It has dedicated sections for Visiting, Telephones, and Written and Electronic Correspondence. Use the table of contents to jump straight to what you need - no hunting through the whole document.

1. Open the BOP Legal Resource Guide PDF - use the version posted by the BOP so you’re working from the official document.
2. Go to the table of contents - it lists the major sections and the page numbers where each topic starts.
3. Jump to “Visiting” - use this section when you’re trying to understand the BOP’s visiting rules.
4. Jump to “Telephones” - use this section for the official framework around phone access and calling rules.
5. Jump to “Written and Electronic Correspondence” - use this section for the rules that govern mail and approved electronic messaging.

Before relying on any rule summary, check the document's date. The BOP Legal Resource Guide states its statutes, regulations, case law, and Program Statements are current as of April 2025. That's helpful - but policies do change, and older PDFs circulate for years.

• ✓ Check the Legal Resource Guide’s “current as of” date and make sure you’re using a recent version
• ✓ Look for “last updated” information on any BOP pages you’re relying on for schedules or procedures
• ✓ Re-check for updates right before you travel, mail something, or set up phone-related arrangements

After checking official statistics, head to the BOP's facility information page for FCI McDowell. Start from BOP resources you already trust - like the statistics area - then navigate to the facility pages from within the BOP site. That way you're not depending on copied or reposted information.

• ✓ Facility-specific page details that help you confirm you’re looking at the correct institution
• ✓ Any posted notices that affect day-to-day operations (the kind of updates families need most)
• ✓ References or pointers back to the BOP’s official rules framework in the Legal Resource Guide
• ✓ The Legal Resource Guide sections on Visiting, Telephones, and Written and Electronic Correspondence for the underlying rules

Cross-check what you find in two places: the facility's current notices for what's happening right now, and the Legal Resource Guide for the official rule framework. Since the Guide's references are current as of April 2025, confirm you're reading the latest version before planning a visit, counting on a phone policy, or mailing something that could be rejected.