Prison Wall.

There are four Federal Correctional Institution prisons located in Mississippi administered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons under the United States Department of Justice. There are three security levels in the prison system are high, medium and minimum security. Minimum security facilities are often referred to as boot or satellite camps. Satellite camp prisoners are utilized mostly for labor on state projects or to maintain repairs at other Mississippi prison facilities. None of the Mississippi Federal prisons currently have a high security rating.

The three Federal correctional institutions are located in Yazoo City, which is part of the Southern Mississippi judicial district. Yazoo City is located about 36 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi just off of Highway 49. Only male prisoners are currently housed in the three Mississippi prisons. The Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex is made up of two prisons: the medium security complex and the low security combined with an attached satellite camp.

The fourth of these prisons is a private institution in Natchez paid by the U.S. government to support and maintain low-level federal prisoners. The use of the private facility is to ease the overcrowding burden on the overpopulated Federal prison system.

Money orders are the only accepted method for prisoners to receive money. Credit cards, cash, and personal checks are not permitted. Prisoners are allowed to send and receive regular postal correspondence and packages after careful inspections to prevent contraband.

They are also permitted to send and receive email using the prison’s federal computer system called Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer system known as TRULINCS. Email exchanges with prisoners can only occur after a contact list has been approved by prison authorities. TRULINCS permits prisoners to stay in touch with friends and family to maintain ties and assist with reintegration into a normal life within society. This system is paid for with revenues generated by prisoners using telephones, purchasing daily commodities and using TRULINCS. No prisoner has or is allowed access to the Internet.

The Private Facility

The U.S. Attorney General permits use of government funds to support federal prisoners in private detention facilities. Funds are used to provide clothes, food, security and medical care for prisoners. These non-federally operated centers are operated by private companies such as the GEO Group, Community Education Centers and Corrections Corporation of America. The Staff of the Correctional Programs Division in the Central Office oversees all privately operated facilities across the country.

This private correctional institution housing federal prisoners is located in Adams County at 20 Hobo Fork Rd, Natchez, MS 39120. Around 100 prisoners can be detained at this facility at any given time. Male prisoners are mostly housed here as well. Federal funds are allocated for the security, maintenance, food, clothing and medical needs of prisoners housed here.

The Yazoo City Medium Security Prison

Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex is quite often referred to as the Yazoo City Medium located at on 2225 Haley Barbour Parkway, Yazoo City. It is strictly an all-male prisoner detention system housing nearly 500 men convicted of a violent crime or crime involving use of a deadly weapon. Staffs to inmate ratios are higher than in low security prisons. Inmates can participate in a wide variety of team sports, yoga, exercise classes, personal enrichment or education classes among other activities provided.

The 583,000 square foot prison layout is similar to a college campus with a series of two-story buildings surrounding a central field. Security cameras are mounted around the high fence perimeter and atop buildings. Around 1,000 prisoners can be securely locked away behind its high walls. Cells are about 7 feet by 12 feet in size with very narrow slits for windows. Each building is divided into 3 or 4 units with an average of 128 men assigned to each unit.

The Yazoo City Low Security Prison

The Yazoo City Low security facility is around 103,000 square feet and detains 260 male criminals only. Security cameras monitor prisoner movement and activities just like they do in the medium security facility. Minor perimeter fencing surrounds residence halls with very few security guards patrolling the grounds. Staffs to inmate ratios are lower in these facilities since these prisoners were convicted of lesser crimes. Education and work-oriented programs help assist prisoners to adapt towards life outside prison walls upon their eventual release.

The Yazoo City Federal Satellite Prison

The satellite prison camp is located next to the low-security facility and has very little perimeter fencing. Residence halls house two to four inmates per room. All male prisoners housed here are considered to be more trustworthy requiring little monitoring. They may partake in the same education and work-oriented programs as low security prisoners do until their release. Prisoners housed in the satellite camp are often utilized for labor in necessary repairs and land maintenance around the other two prisons.

There are around 40 state owned prisons in Oklahoma. When it comes to federal prisons, out of the 118, two of them are in Oklahoma. They are the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City and The Federal Correction Institution in El Rino, Oklahoma. The Federal Transfer Center is an administrative branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The center holds both male and female criminals.

The Federal Transfer Center

For any prison, security is the chief area of concern. It is not just about maintaining peace inside the prison surroundings. It is also about preventing any kinds of illegal dealings and rival dealings among prison inmates. In the Federal Transfer Center, Oklahoma City, there is a five level security management system. Towers, barriers, patrols and detection devices are used effectively 24/7. Accompanying such features are several internal and external security features that effectively curb any kind of mishaps in the prison surrounding.

Minimum security sections are areas where there is less staff-inmate ratio. This means that there will be no extremely strong fencing, as the prisoners here are relatively safe. These are program oriented areas of the prison where inmates of the cell work for other larger prison institutions or military bases. The inmates here are trained to provide supply and do labor for such higher institutions. Low security areas have much more advanced security and have double walls and strong fencing. The staff-inmate ratio is much higher than minimum security areas. Both medium and high security areas have extremely superior security features. Such areas are equipped with electronic detection systems and have high staff-inmate ratio.

Administrative complexes and special features

There are several correctional complexes and administrative complexes within the Federal Transfer Center premises. The administrative units have specific targets and missions. They are skilled in training prison inmates with mental disorder, or chronic medical conditions and extremely violent inmates. Some of the Administrative complexes include Metropolitan Correctional Centers, Federal Detention Centers, Federal Transfer Centers and the Administrative Maximum or ADX. All these administrative agencies except ADX have the ability to keep prisoners belonging to all security categories.

Federal prisons in Oklahoma are equipped with satellite camps. These camps lie adjacent to the main facility. The chief function of these camps is to provide labor through inmates for the proper functioning of the main organization.

Housing facility for female offenders is another feature of the Oklahoma City federal prison. There are around 28 detention cells for female prisoners. Within the 28 cells, except for cells like Big Seven, Carswell, Alderson and Danbury, all are mixed cells and have male prisoners in them. There are also Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Programs associated with each of these cells. For a geographic location of the female cells people can make use of the map of the prison provided by the Federal agencies.

Inmate accommodation and reorientation facilities

The federal prisons in Oklahoma provide all basic facilities for the leisure and proper accommodation of its inmates. The authorities also conduct several reorientation programs for inmates so that when their term is over, they can assimilate well with the society. The orientation program starts right from the time when the inmate is brought into the prison. The detainee is screened and asked several questions regarding his reasoning ability. His/her physical condition is also tested.

The detainees are also taught several skills that help them to concentrate well and for the proper mind control. Tolerance, respect and responsibility are induced into the inmates, thus making them well mannered. Training for occupation and literature is also developed in these institutions. Mock job fairs are also conducted as part of their training.

Religious Programs and Substance Abuse Treatment

Drug abuse is perhaps the most difficult problem to tackle inside prison premises. There are several ways by which prisoners get substances. Drug treatment programs inside these prisons are the first step towards controlling drug abuse inside prison cells. In addition to substance abuse programs, classes in religion are also being conducted in these cells. Specially trained cell chaplains and spiritual leaders are hired for this job. These people provide spiritual guidance and pastoral service and conducts religious workshops. Inmates inside the cell can wear religious dresses and are allowed to take leave on religious days.

At its beginning, Fort Leavenworth was the first fort and settlement west of the Missouri River. Fort Leavenworth is strategically located nearest the center of the United States of America. Located just 25-miles North of Kansas City, the Military post overlooks the Missouri River and the nearby city of Leavenworth.

In March 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth was commissioned to set up a permanent military camp near the crossing of the Missouri and Little Platte Rivers. Colonel Leavenworth Arrived at the Missouri River location with four infantry divisions and, on May 8th, finally discovered suitable, hospitable terrain for the permanent settlement. The Colonel started a tent camp, citing the need to await confirmation from his superiors, before continuing the settlement’s procurement procedures. Final permanent construction was approved, which began the following year. In September, the site was officially formalized as the “Cantonment Leavenworth.”

From here, the name of the post was changed to “Fort Leavenworth,” in 1832. Under the command of General Philip Kearny, Leavenworth became the base of operations for the Army’s Western Headquarters. During the following years of conflict, slavery and international combat, the town of Leavenworth was established, as was the Army’s expanded camp, used to service, train, and assign units for combat distinction.

New Additions

The U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, the first military incarceration facility, was established at Fort Leavenworth in 1874. Leavenworth Prison (the U.S.D.B.) is, currently, the one of the only two maximum-security prisons within the Department of Defense. The second is also at Leavenworth, next door to the U.S.D.B. The newly built extension, commissioned in 2010, houses an additional 400+ inmates.

Notable Inmates

During its illustrious history, Leavenworth has hosted some of the most prolific names in the history of incarceration. From “Bugs” Moran, the mob kingpin who battled Al Capone for control of the Chicago turf and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, to NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who was convicted of running an illegal dog fighting ring, the celebrity of those inside its monumental walls is a virtual “who’s who.” None, however, compare to its most notable inmate, murderer Thomas Silverstein. Silverstein was so vicious that he, in fact, had to be kept in the prison basement, under the orders of “No Human Contact.”

Inmate Programs

Leavenworth offers a few, basic institutional opportunities for its inmates. Horticulture and substance abuse programs are also available. At this time, there are 13 different treatment programs available for inmates who qualify for possible rehabilitation.

Economy

Due to the inmate industrial program, the largest of all the nation’s programs, allowing the incarcerated to work in manufacturing facilities generates between $5- and $10-million dollars per year. Those willing to work at daily, mundane chores, can expect to earn up to 40 cents per hour, to be used for necessities. Factories allow some inmates to learn a trade while preparing for release into society.

Daily Life

In the past, life in Leavenworth was compared to a brutal, always dangerous game of chance. Though it is still somewhat a dangerous place, the advent of modern technology has made dramatic leaps in inmate and guard safety. Occurrences of death, dismemberment and assault, which at one time were considered the “norm,” are now rarely an afterthought. Inmates are confined up to 23 hours a day, in certain sections of the prison facility. When they are allowed to spend a moment outside of their confinement, they are reliably escorted by 2-3 well-armed chaperones. Meals are fed through a small slot under their cell doors, as is usually depicted in Hollywood cinema pieces.

As it stands, Leavenworth remains one of the Nation’s longest-running incarcerations facilities. It is one of the most feared institutions, yet one of the most respected, at the same token.

Jurisdiction of the Louisiana Federal Prisons falls under the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Oakdale Correctional Complex

Oakdale Correctional Complex encompasses two different facilities on one main campus, FCI Oakdale and FDC Oakdale. The Federal Detention Institute and the Federal Correctional Institution are both located near the city of Oakdale, Louisiana. The Oakdale Correctional Complex is situated in the middle of the state, a little over 30 miles south of the city of Alexandria. It can also be found from Lake Charles which is a little less than 60 miles south of the prison. One of the most famous inmates currently serving time in the Oakdale Correctional Complex is Bernard Ebbers. He is serving a 25-year sentence for securities fraud and conspiracy because of his company WorldCom. Once the chief executive officer of the company, Bernard Ebbers reported financial reporting that was forged or intentionally incorrect. His case was the biggest accounting case in United States history. Other famous inmates include former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards who is serving 10 years for racketeering charges and former Governor from Alabama, Don Siegelman who served for corruption. The CFO of corrupt business Enron Andrew Fastow is currently serving his 6 year sentence for conspiracy, insider trading, false statements, money laundering, wire fraud and securities fraud at the Oakdale Correctional Complex. New Orleans city councilman Oliver Thomas served 37 months in the federal prison for bribery charges.

Visiting

You can visit an inmate within the Oakdale Correctional Complex between 8:15 am and 3:00 pm Sunday, Saturday and all Federal Holidays. It is not the responsibility of the guards to find the inmate, they must be easily accessible if they want to have visitors. Processing for the visitor and the inmate ends an hour prior to the general ending time, so be sure to be processed ahead of time and to remain on central standard time.

Oakdale Correctional Complex: FCI Oakdale

FCI Oakdale is specifically made for inmates within a lower security complex. It is an all male lockdown facility and hold inmates following trial and sentencing.

Oakdale Correctional Complex: FDC Oakdale

FDC Oakdale is not only an administrative building, it is also a housing facility for the inmates that have yet to be tried or convicted. There is also another satellite camp housing area for those that are not considered highly dangerous. FDC means that it is a transfer or reception center, as such it does not hold the low or medium security FCI label.