Visiting FCI Otisville

Two Visiting Rooms, Two Schedules

The FCI and the satellite camp keep different days. Both come from the Otisville visiting supplement, OTV 5267.09a, dated 1 October 2021.

	FCI	Satellite camp
Days	Saturday, Sunday, Monday and federal holidays	Thursday to Monday and federal holidays
Closed	Tuesday to Friday, except legal visits and federal holidays	Tuesday and Wednesday
Hours	8:00 AM to 2:45 PM	8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Last entry	2:15 PM	2:30 PM
Weekends	Any weekend	Even or odd, by register number

Once you leave the visiting room you cannot come back in the same day.

Twelve Points a Month at the FCI

Each person at the FCI gets twelve visiting points a month. A weekday visit costs one point and a weekend or holiday visit costs two. Unused points do not carry over.

In practice that means six weekend visits a month, or more if some fall on a Monday. Mondays are the cheap day.

The Camp’s Even and Odd Weekends

At the camp, Saturday and Sunday visits go by the fifth digit of the register number. In 87654-321 the fifth digit is 4, which is even, so that person’s visits fall on the weekends marked even. The weekends alternate.

The even and odd rule covers Saturday and Sunday.

Getting on the List

1. The person inside asks the Unit Team for a visitor information form, BP-629, and mails it to you.
2. You fill it in and mail it straight to the Unit Counselor.
3. The Unit Team runs a background check and tells the person who is approved.

Who can go on the list: immediate family, other relatives, and up to 25 friends and associates. Friends with no relationship from before the sentence need the Warden’s approval. The list can be changed once a quarter.

Visitors aged 16 or 17 coming without a parent, guardian or adult family member need written approval from a parent or guardian before the visit.

How Many at Once

Three adults and three children at a time, at the FCI and the camp alike.

When the room gets crowded, every visitor still gets at least one hour. After that, staff can end visits to make room, and people who visit rarely or travel far are among the last to be asked to leave.

What to Bring and What to Leave

Everyone 16 or older needs a valid government photo ID: a driver’s license, state ID or passport.

Into the room you can take one small clear bag, feminine hygiene items, infant food and care items, and lifesaving medication. Nothing in glass. Everything else stays in your car or the lobby lockers.

Cash for the vending machines in bills no larger than $5. You cannot leave money for the person’s account during a visit.

The Dress Code

• No khaki and no orange, which is what people inside wear.
• Tops cover the stomach, chest and back. No sleeveless, halter or spaghetti straps.
• No jackets, coats or anything with a hood in the visiting room.
• Shorts, skirts and dresses no shorter than three inches above the knee for anyone 16 or older.
• For women: no cut-off shorts, culottes, spandex, leotards, form-fitting clothes, sweatpants or trousers with holes.
• No hats or caps, except religious headwear.
• No flip flops, crocs or shower shoes. Open toes are allowed with a strap round the back of the ankle.

Get it wrong and you will be turned away until you change.

During the Visit

A handshake, hug and kiss at the start and the end. Food comes from the vending machines and stays in the room. Photographs can be taken by an approved photographer inside, paid for with tickets the person buys from commissary.

People in the Special Housing Unit get non-contact visits on Mondays only, for one hour, with immediate family, arranged in advance through the Unit Team.

Getting There

The prison is on Two Mile Dr., off Sanitarium Road in Otisville, Orange County, about an hour and a half from New York City. The supplement’s directions run up the Thruway to Exit 16, then Route 17 West to Exit 120 at Middletown, and Route 211 into Otisville.

Otisville Correctional Facility, the New York State prison, is on the same Sanitorium Road. Make sure you are turning in at the federal prison. For public transport, the supplement lists New Jersey Transit on 1-800-221-2365.

Before a Long Drive

The visiting supplement dates from 2021. Confirm days and hours on 845-386-6700 before a long trip, and check the locator the night before in case the person has moved. Between visits, Pigeonly sends printed letters and photos to P.O. Box 1000 from your phone.