Has anyone here ever been to FCI Morgantown? Looks like I'll be headed there and I want to know a little about the conditions. How often do you go outside? How's the food? How much is the canteen, reasonable? Are there fences/razorwire, etc? I was told FCI Morgantown has no fences...

My husband is going to morgantown too. When do you report? We have heard good things about this place. So I would not be too worried. I know you are but try to be as calm as possible. When do you go? How long will you be in?

Hi,
This is my first post here, I stumbled across the website by following a few links, I think I'll stay a while!
Anyhow, I served time at FCI Morgantown. From 1998 to 2000. This was my first and last prison experience. I'll share with you what I remember, but keep in mind that things do change within the penal system.
I actually grew up in Morgantown, but I caught my case while living in South Carolina. I requested to be near my family and friends and I was granted a self surrender to FCI Morgantown. Growing up, I had driven past what we knew as the Kennedy Center (later to be renamed FCI Morgantown) hundreds of times. From the street out front you would never believe how big this complex actually is. Its down in a heavley treed valley so you can't really see much except the visiting center, which if I remember correctly is also the A&O facility.
Out front there is a gaurd booth, just off the main road. My mother and sister drooped me off, I had just turned 25. From the guard booth I was greeted by a stockey and cocky C.O. He latered turned out to be pretty cool (if C.O's can actually be). Within a year he was fired..thats a whole different story. Sooooo, I was initially checked for contraband and led down to a locker room in the A&O facility. Once there, I was strip searched and given a green one piece jumpsuit and some slippers. I wore the same jumpsuit over the weekend until I could be fiitted for prison kackies at the laundry Monday morning. Once I was processed I was introduced to an inmate who was responsible for showing me around. We walked down a steep set of stairs into the valley where he showed me the differnet units. From what I remember there was the Bates Unit (this is where the RDAP inmates live) and the Alexander Unit. There were three or 4 other units but their names escape me as I never lived in any other that the two mentioned above. Each housing unit hold several hundred inmates and they are split into "wings". Each wing is like a large gym with rows of bunk beds seperated by a six foot high cinder block wall. The bunks are pushed up against the cinderblocks and the top bed is about 1 foot lower than the wall. From the top bunk you can look out over the wing and see every cubicle. There are no doors on the cubes and there is no privacy whatsoever. Each cube is fitted with two 3 foot higher lockers, you'll have to buy your own lock...its highly recommended. There is also a desk with an attached chair that folds in and out. Right outside of the cubes, you can find the TV rooms. Each TV room is fitted with stadium style bleachers and can accomdate about 40 inmates. I think there are 3 or 4 TV rooms to each Unit.
All paths from the units lead to the cafeterea. Each unit is called to chow in a pre-determined order. This weekly order is established every Thurday based upon who has the cleanest unit. The guards litterly come into the wings and then the cubes and check for tidyness. Its pretty competitive as each unit wants to go first to chow. In hindsight I really dont know why this mattered much we were all going to eat and end up doing the same thing aferward. Wait, now I remember why it mattered so much: There is a movie theater at FCI Morgantown. Every week night there is a different PG to PG13 movie playing and those who get out of chow first get the best seats. I avoided the theater with the exception of 2 or 3 times, one of those times Ferris Bueler's Day Off was playing.
Most of the time after dinner I would go to the ball field and run laps or go down to the weight pit and use the outdated free weights. Its possible that these weights are no longer there as the feds has policy of not replacing broken equipment.
A typical day: Wake up about 6am and scurry down to chow (there is no unit order during weekday breakfast). Breakfast was either oatmeal. grits, cornflakes, milk and once a week eggs. Needless to say, more than a few opted to eat from their locker (commissary food).
i was fortunate enough to land a job (everyone works...if thats what they call it) at the laundry. At my job we operated industrial size washers and dryers. There are too many employees at each job so you will sit around doing nothing most of the day. Some C.O.'s will let you bring a book to work...this turns out to be a small luxury. Laundry detail ends right after lunch. From there, time is free to do pretty much whatever until the 4 pm stand up count. Everyone must be in their cube for this count. afterwards, the units are called in order to chow.
After chow, free time. There is a library with alot of books, also a rec room with pool tables and ping pong. At 9pm everyone back to the Units and at 10pm another count. Free time again until midnight. Repeat until finished.
There was not a fence at the time of my incarceration and some inmates took advantage of this. ALOT were caught and it is my recommendation to stay in bounds or else you'll be shipped to a higher security prison...no qustions asked.
All in all, it was not that bad. The worse part was the noise. There is absolutly no privacy and people are very rude at night when others are trying to sleep. Here's a little jail house trick: Cut out 2 corners of a garbage bag. Ball up some wet tissue and place in the corner baggie. Twist tie them shut and place in ears...wallah you now have a set of jail house ear plugs.
Its getting late, so I'm gonna run. Feel free to fire off more questions.
Good luck, 071

Well, I dropped him off and so it has been quite a couple of emotional days here. I am wondering if I make address labels can I use them or do you have to write it out?? Please let me know. Also I am planning on sending ten pictures at a time. Has anyone had any problem doing that in Morgantown?? PS: We were both pretty suprised by how nice this place looked from the outside. Don't know what it is inside but the outside looked nice...........I mean you know considering the circumstances. Also is the visitors room the building right in front of the visitor parking lot? And are you allowed to walk around outside together ? Or do you have to stay in a little room the whole time? Just wondering with the little one and all. Thanks a bunch everyone

Hey girl I am glad to here that you got back home safe and sound. You are allowed to send letter with address labels but I am not sure they might peal them off before they give them to the inmates. I have always used labels on my letters and he always gets them. You are allowed to send up to 25 pics at a time. I usually stay around the 15 or 20 range just so I know that they won't make a fuss.

Yes the building right in front of the parking lot is the visiting area. You are not allowed to go outside with them. But the room you are in is pretty big, like a high school cafetaria is how it loks to me. There are all typres of vending machines (that you have to bring money for). There is also a small room where the inmates and the children can go with toys and things in it.

As nice as it look from the outside is just as nice as it looks inside. When you go visit you will be able to see alomst the whole compound from the waiting area. The are trees and a stream that runs through the compound. The buildings that you saw from the parking lot are where the inmates sleep. When you are done at your visits you will sometimes be able to see them walkng back to their units, if they are in those units. When my man was in Carlson Unit he could see me and I could see him getting into my car and leaving (That was so hard). I hope you are doing well and if you have anymore questions just let me know. Have you got your first call yet. You can write whenever you wish make sure you put

Inmates name
Inmates number (Inmates Unit)
FCI Morgantown
Box 1000
Morgantown WV, 26507

Hi! I was looking into the visitation stuff for Morgantown. It says all shirts must be tucked and belted. So I can not just wear jeans and a sweatshirt? I do not have any really baggy jeans but I thought if I wore and big sweatshirt that would cover any part of myself that may be revealing hehe!! Let me know what you all have seen at visitation. I surely do not want to drive 6 hours and not be able to get in. Thanks, Jackie

My husband was supposed to call me last night and I waited until 10:30 before just giving up and going to bed. Anyone know if something is wrong with phones in Morgantown, anyone else spoke with inmates? Also if anyone has ever Western Unioned money how long did it take to show up in thier commisary acct. Is thier any way other than speaking to him to find out if it got thier? Thank you, Jackie

My husband was suppose to call lastnight to but he didn't. I thought maybe he was tied up at work. Does anyone know anything? I western union his money all the time. They usually get it in 2 hours. I verified with FBOP.

How do you verify with FBOP? Did you just call Morgantown?? Thanks

No He was in Youngstown at the time so he did not receive his money there because they are a private facility so I called FBOP in Des Moines, Iowa who told me the money was accepted at Morgantown. I then called Morgantown and talked to the cashier lady who told me his account was set up there so I knew where he was going before he did.

The phones at fci morgantown are down today because they are re doing all the phone lines. they should be back up on wednesday or thursday. We get more minutes in november and december!

how many more minutes do we get??

My man told me that the phones were going to be down all this week. He usua;;y calls me twice a week and he tols me he wasn't going to be able to call until the 6th. Also you get 15 mintutes per call. You can wear tight fitting jeans. You have to tuck in shirts that are form fitting. If you wear a sweatshirt or sweater or something of that nature than you don't. You do have to wear a belt if the pants you have on has belt loops.

It has been a little over a week and I am still feeling so overwhelmed. He did everything for me and now it is all in my lap plus taking care of the kids. I find myself crying all the time, I can't see through the clouds. How long does it take to get easier? I waited on him to call last night and he never did. I am sure sometimes they have every intention of calling and just can't bc of all the people using the phones. I am feeling so many emotions I can't even describe. Anyone? Can you tell me when this get a little easier? Jackie:confused:

Jackie,
They say that time heals all but its slow. My man has been gone since Jan. 2006 and I still have some issues. It does get easier. Be strong and keep your head up.

It will get easier as time goes on. Getting up without him next to you, going places together, him not coming through the door, not being there to share your everyday with.................it will all get easier. Think of this......you are getting used to the idea of him not being there and you can't bear it.............I'm getting used to the idea of him being here......it will get easier and one day you will be were i am. I was only 18 when he got locked up and if I can do it anyone can. I was a never weak person, he was my strength and I got through it. I promise it will get easier. Just hang in there and have faith.