Hi all......my honey just received word that his much wanted transfer is going to take place within the next couple of months. He is going to be transferred to either Edgewood in Littleton CO or Florence in Florence CO. I would appreciate any information anyone might have. I am also planning on moving out there next year so any information on the general area would be great too!!

Thanks,
Ella

Ella, I live in Denver (littleton is a burb of Denver) and 2 hours North of Florence. i am going to be visitng a pen pal in Florence tomorrow - 11-22 so i will know more about that facility after that.

if you want any specific info on the Denver area, let me know via PM with your email address and i will do what i can to help you out.

later,

Jerry

My baby is in Federal prison in Florence, CO. I hope to one day in the near future get to go visit. It is just so far away.

Well, I just got back a little bit ago from my first visit to an inmate in a Federal Correctional Institution. Florence CO to be specific. It was quite the experience and quite nice! I am surprised and please with the whole thing! I do not know if all Fed prisons are like this one – with multiple areas and such, so some of this may be unique to Florence and some of this info may be duplication of what is already known. Sorry for that, but I would rather start from the beginning and cover all of the bases.
So let me start from the beginning.
I got to Florence about 15 minutes before visiting hours were to start. Cars were lined up onto the road. They will not let anyone onto the facility until visiting hours start! You then register with the guard at the gate, sign in and he tells you which facility to go to. Florence has 4 different Fed Prisons – Camp, Medium, High Security and SuperMax. I needed to know which area he was is and I did not know! The guards at the gate do NOT have a roster! He said that I would have to pull aside and wait until all were thru, I mentioned that his address just stated FCI – and that was all that he needed to know. I had told him that this was my first time and he said that he would be gentle with me and probably not ask me to strip! Hehehehehe (Yes, he actually did say that!) I said – only if you want me to. I then asked about smoking inside – NO – federal buildings can’t smoke inside. Also I asked about my body piercings which I had in. he said that he thought that it should not be a problem, but to ask the guard at the desk. If not, they would provide a locker/key to put them in during the visit. He then told me which building to go to and to go into the main entrance of that building.
I parked, went into the main building. There is a paper form I had to fill out, answer several questions on it and then get into line. In the line another book to register in – date, my name, signature, Inmate’s name, and Reg# of the inmate. Then I handed the paperwork and photo id to the desk guard. He checked it over (I had forgotten a couple of items, but he told me not to worry, gave me back the paper, I corrected it) and then he took my picture! I had noticed that SHOES were making the metal detector go off, so I had already taken off my shoes. The items that are allowed in here are as follows: $25 MAX – nothing larger than a 5, 1’s and quarters, nickels, dimes are acceptable. They must be in a clear plastic bag – and yes, the guard does count how much! some medications are allowed in – heart attack (Nitroglycerin tabs) and allergy inhalers are stated as ok); no personal items, some jewelry is allowed - I asked about my piercings, and they said that they were fine and to not remove them. (2 tunnels and rings in the left ear, a nose ring and 2 nipple rings! I forgot to take off my belt, and that made the machine go off, but after I took it off, I got thru ok. Then they stamped an invisible mark on the upper side of my right forearm. I had to wait for a 2nd guard to gather a group of us, we went thru the 1st locked door, after that locked, then a guard in a locked room had each of us put the marked arm under a black light to verify that we had been marked. He then let our group past another locked door. We walked to another building, another locked door, down a hall, and the escort guard opened up another locked door and let us into the visitor’s room
SIDE NOTE ABOUT THE MONEY! - I had read quite a few posts about the ion detectors and their ‘false’ reading on drugs – residue left on them from precious ‘owners’. I had debated about if I should wash the bills and quarters I was taking. I did not. There was no visible ion detector that I could see. I asked my pen pal and he said that they were not using it right now because of the false readings. This is not to say that in the future, they won’t bring it back out.
We then registered with that guard and he assigned tables and chairs for each group of us.
I sat in the wrong chair mistaking the first table for the second one, and the guard just asked me to move to the correct area.
The guard then called for my inmate to come up to the visitor’s room. When he got there, he handed to the guard at the desk and he had to give him a card from himself
INSIDE THE VISITING ROOM – it was rather cool, almost cold! I wish that I have brought in my jacket – they would have allowed it! The room itself is very nice. Comfy chairs, of course there are the cameras everywhere seeing everything. There were bathrooms inside the visitor’s room – good sized ones too! A vending area that included snacks, sandwiches, fruits, juices, coffees, sodas, a microwave. Inmates are NOT allowed into the area of the room. They can stand at the edge of that area and tell the visitor what to get. My pen pals showed up about 5:20. And the visit was on!
Before we knew it, the 3-hour visit was over! I could not believe that time had passed so fast – especially for a first visit! The guard yelled ‘5 minutes left’ we got up, shook hands again (had done this at the beginning and I did notice that they allowed hugs also!) since I have an over active bladder, when I get up after sitting, I almost always have to pee. So I told the guard and went into the restroom. When I cam out ALL OF THE OTHER VISITORS WERE GONE AND I WAS ALONE IN THE VISITING ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!! YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!! The guard was outside and waiting for me, but had to unlock the door. We joked about being ‘stuck’ inside. Then the trip back to the main desk, including showing again the mark on the arm. Once at the main desk, getting the stuff I left in the locker – car keys only for me. Then walking outside, and leaving. Surprisingly at the main gate, the guard did not even come out and the barricade across the road was up long before I got there and did not come down at all that I saw.
So, that is my experience in Florence Colorado’s Federal Correctional Institution.
Again, for those of you who are ‘old hands’ at this, I apologize for the length of this. I hope that this might in turn help those who are thinking of visiting Florence in the future.

As for the drive to and from Florence, Florence is about 30 miles SW of Colorado Springs thru mountain valleys and meadows. Driving this are 3 in the after noon, on a warm 70 cloudless day was breathtaking! And going back, an almost full moon that lit the meadows and valleys was exquisite! I did not have any PVDD that I noticed, however, I think that this was because we are just pen pals, NOT lovers, husband, boyfriend, etc.

So folks, I hope that I have not bored you too much!

Later,

Jerry

oregonyellowros

i am curious - is Edgewood the NAME of the institution? there is Edgewater and Englewoor for suburbs here in Denver, i have never heard ot an Edgewood. just curious.

Jerry

Thanks for the info about Florence jakrusedenco. Of course, Floyd is in the Max building. He should be writing me with some visiting information about his building soon. It is very comforting though, to hear you talk about being there.
Thanks again:)

April
OUCH!!!

the pen pal that i visited mentioned some things about visiting in th ADX - SuperMax area. from what he understood, told me and i remember, all of the visit are viz closed circuit systems - you sit in a room with a camera and monitor, they contact the inmeate and he either goes to a room in his part of the building and you visit from there over the 'net' or some apparently even that it 'installed' in their cells'. almost makes one wish that if they can do that, then why can't they let you do the visit from home via the web? or some place closer to home so as not to have to drive, just to see the lover one on a tv screen.

Again, i do not know if what he told me is correct, or if it only true for some or for ALL those in ADX. good luck on you visit and let me know how it turns out.

if you come thru Denver, let;s get together for coffee and chat!

Later,

Jerry

Sounds good jakrusedenco! I hope I at lease get to touch him. So jakrusedenco, if I'm coming from Western North Carolina to Florence, CO. what airport would be the closest to fly into? :confused:

DIA in Denver is the largerst, there is a good sized one in Colorado Springs =- closer to Florence. DAI to Florence would be almost a 3 hours drive, CoSprings - Flroence less than an hour. what may determine which one to use will probably boil down to $$$. DIA may be able to give you better flight prices, but higher car rentals. when i decide that i want to go somewhere, i talk with a trusted travel agent and get an idea of time/prices/availablility. then i go check our the web for what that has and then make the decision as to time/place,dates, etc. too many variables at times! i am sorrty but i do not know the airlines that would fly into Colo Springs. and DIA is a major hub for United pluys tons of other airlines. best of luck to you.

on a side note, if i remember right, there is a Super 8 motel less than a mile from the entrance at Flroence. i would think that they might offer discounts for those visiting over a period of time. i have read in other forums that some hotels / motels offer discounts to those visiting friends / family in nearby prisons. you might want to call their reservation center tocheck it out. if they don't know, or say that they don't, you might want to call the horel itself and talk to them. someitmes notels / motels offer things locally that are not offered via a national center.

take care of yourself. let me know how it is going and keep in touch!

Jerry

Thanks for the information. Every little bit helps.

Motel discounts

Usually with your visiting information that is given out by the inmate/counselor....they will list a few motels in the area of the facilities that will offer discounts on motels.
Atleast this was my experience with FCI Beckley.

And if not for all locations...if you find a hotel in the area...know you are going to visit more then once...alot of the motel chains now offer there own discount card(like the ones you use for grocery stores)...it all adds up! You get the better rooms for the regular price...and after so many stays...you get a free night!

Sounds good.

I have stayed at just about every hotel/motel around the Florence F.C.I. My personal preference is not the Super 8 that Jerry mentions. It could just boil down to personal preference. They have lost my reservations twice. I travel 90% of the time for my job so I am intolerant a bit of these types of things. Canon City is 13 miles away and has lots of hotels. I actually like the Riviera Motel in Florence, the rooms are spacious and clean and they have microwaves and refrigerators. The owner Jalina (pronounced Helena) caters to families visiting the prison. I like not having that extra drive from Canon City during the winter. I prefer to fly into Colorado Springs and did so all the time when I lived in Nevada. However, from Michigan I get much cheaper fares into Denver. Any travel help you need or questions about Florence, ask away....
Kellibb

Originally posted by jakrusedenco
oregonyellowros

i am curious - is Edgewood the NAME of the institution? there is Edgewater and Englewoor for suburbs here in Denver, i have never heard ot an Edgewood. just curious.

Jerry

Its Englewood FCI and its actually located in Lakewood, not Englewood, both suburbs of Denver. Its located less than a mile from where I live. Thanks for the info on Florence Jerry. I have a friend in County right now waiting for sentencing coming up in July. We hope that he will be transferred to either Florence or Englewood.