Mail to FPC Montgomery. Address, Schedule & Rules

The Confirmed Mailing Address Format

FPC Montgomery’s handbook lays out the exact return address format required for outgoing mail, and the same format applies for anyone addressing a letter to someone at the camp:

[Inmate's committed name, Register Number, dorm and wing]
Federal Prison Camp
Montgomery, Alabama 36112

The handbook specifically instructs that “FEDERAL PRISON CAMP” be spelled out in full, not abbreviated, on the return address. Follow the same convention when you address an envelope to send to someone at the camp, and always include the person’s full committed name and Register Number.

Where Mail Gets Collected and Delivered

A General Mail depository is located outside the Inmate Telephone Room, used for correspondence that doesn’t require special or legal handling. On the outgoing side, mail is collected at 7:15 a.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. On the incoming side, First Class mail and publications are delivered to the dorms no later than 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, and all inmates are required to attend mail call to receive it.

What Happens to an Incomplete Return Address

The handbook is specific on this point: outgoing mail with an incomplete return address will be returned. If you’re expecting a letter and it hasn’t arrived, this is one likely explanation on the sending end, worth mentioning to the inmate so he can double-check his return address format going forward.

Registered, Certified, and Insured Mail

FPC Montgomery allows registered, certified, or insured mail with a return receipt, as long as the proper postage is purchased through the Commissary. Express or overnight mail, C.O.D. deliveries, and private carriers such as FedEx or UPS are not permitted. Stick to standard U.S. Postal Service mail for anything you send.

Books, Newspapers, and Publications

Hardcover books and newspapers may only be received directly from the publisher, book club, or bookstore, not mailed by you personally. This is a standard rule across many BOP facilities, meant to control what physically enters the camp. If you want to send someone a book, order it through a bookstore or publisher and have it shipped directly to the facility instead of buying it yourself and mailing it from home.

What’s Not Allowed

Along with the express-mail and private-carrier restriction above, the facility’s handbook specifies that inmates may not give to or receive anything from another inmate or from any civilian or military worker on Maxwell or Gunter Air Force Base. This rule reflects the camp’s location on an active military installation, where inmates work alongside base personnel in various support roles. Sending unauthorized items through the mail, or attempting to route something through a third party at the base, violates this policy.

Money Does Not Go to This Address

Whatever you mail to FPC Montgomery’s Montgomery, Alabama address, don’t send money there. All deposits go to a separate, centralized BOP Lockbox address in Des Moines, Iowa, covered in the send money guide. Keep these two purposes straight: the camp’s own address for letters, cards, and photos, and the Des Moines address for money only.

Legal Mail

Legal mail is typically handled under separate procedures from personal correspondence at BOP facilities. If you’re an attorney or sending legal correspondence, mark it clearly as legal mail and confirm the correct handling procedure directly with the facility.

Confirm Where the Person Is Before You Mail Anything

Before mailing a letter, photo, or package, check the BOP inmate locator to confirm the person hasn’t been transferred to a different BOP facility. Federal transfers can happen without much advance notice to families.

What to Do If Mail Is Rejected or Returned

If a letter comes back to you, first double-check that you used the confirmed address format above, spelling out “Federal Prison Camp” in full, and that you included the inmate’s Register Number and dorm and wing. If the address was correct and mail still didn’t go through, contact FPC Montgomery to ask what caused the rejection before resending it. The facility’s general phone number wasn’t confirmed in this research; check bop.gov/locations/institutions/mon/ for the current listing.