FCI McDowell, WV

Visiting at FCI McDowell starts with approval. The inmate must place you on their approved visiting list, and the Bureau of Prisons must clear you after you complete and submit the BP‑A0629 questionnaire and release form to the institution. Before you drive in, review the visiting regulations and call ahead to confirm the schedule and any travel advisories. Approved visitors generally include relatives and up to ten friends or associates, while certain officials and groups may qualify under separate rules. Dress matters: provocative or revealing clothing can get your visit denied, and the facility lists items that are generally not permitted. Leave prohibited items at home, including weapons, drugs, cameras, phones, and other electronics. Brief physical contact is usually allowed at the start and end of a visit, but conjugal visits are not permitted.

FCI McDowell uses the TRULINCS electronic messaging system for email-style communication. The inmate has to approve you as a contact before you can exchange messages. TRULINCS messages are text-only with no attachments allowed, and each message is limited to 13,000 characters. At this facility, TRULINCS is funded through the Inmate Trust Fund, not taxpayer dollars. Calls and electronic messages are monitored and screened for security, though certain privileged communications (such as attorney calls) may be handled differently in specific situations. If you are setting up video visits, phone calls, or other vendor-run services, you will typically need a family account, agree to online terms, and add a payment method. Follow the vendor's instructions and confirm schedules with the facility before you plan a call or visit.

Sending money to someone at FCI McDowell? Don't mail funds to the facility's street address. Any money sent through the mail has to go to a processing center in Des Moines, Iowa. One supported option is MoneyGram ExpressPayment. You will need to follow MoneyGram's required account formatting and enter the facility's fixed receive code when prompted. Timing matters: transfers sent between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST generally post within 2–4 hours, while transfers sent after 9:00 p.m. post at about 7:00 a.m. the next morning. For any method, include the inmate's register number and full committed name. Matching depends on correct identifiers and the vendor's processing windows.