Search by name to confirm someone is at USP Canaan and start sending letters, photos, and money.
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The most common miss here isn’t a spelling problem, it’s the wrong search entirely. Families told “he’s in Waymart” often search the federal side when he’s at the state prison, or the other way around. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) locator lists only federal inmates, so if his case was a Pennsylvania state case, use the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC) search instead. The other reason a name comes back empty is timing. USP Canaan has been receiving federal inmates since it was activated on March 29, 2005, and men arrive after sentencing and designation, not straight from an arrest. Someone picked up on federal charges recently is usually still held by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Use the 8-digit federal register number when you have it, since it removes any doubt about spelling and it’s the number you’ll need on mail and deposits. If you only have a name, match the court paperwork, then try middle names and hyphenated spellings. Once a result names USP Canaan, one question is left: main penitentiary or camp. That answer changes the address line you write above PO Box 300 and it changes visiting logistics. Call (570) 488-8000 and ask which side he’s on before you mail anything.
5 of 5 questions
No, and this is the single biggest mix-up families hit here. USP Canaan is a federal penitentiary run by the BOP, reachable at (570) 488-8000, with mail going to PO Box 300, Waymart, PA 18472. SCI Waymart is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC) state prison in the same town. Different agency, different search, different mail rules.
Inmate SearchHe may be at the state prison in the same town, he may not be designated to Canaan yet, or the name may not match BOP records. Try his register number, then call (570) 488-8000 to ask if he's housed at the penitentiary or the camp.
Inmate SearchA locator result names USP Canaan without splitting out the camp, so you have to ask. It matters because camp inmates use a separate address line above PO Box 300 and the camp is administered on its own. Staff at (570) 488-8000 can confirm.
Inmate SearchNot until sentencing and designation are done. Before that he's typically in U.S. Marshals Service custody at a contract county jail, which the BOP locator doesn't cover. USP Canaan is a high-security penitentiary, so a designation here follows a long sentence. Once he's designated, (570) 488-8000 can tell you whether he landed at the penitentiary or the camp.
Inmate SearchThat ZIP covers both facilities, so read the facility name instead of the town. If it says USP Canaan, mail goes to PO Box 300 and questions go to (570) 488-8000. If it says SCI Waymart, you're looking at the state prison and none of Canaan's addresses apply.
Inmate SearchHousing units rotate weekends, so confirm his unit before you plan the trip.
View ArticleMoneyGram, Western Union, or a USPS money order tied to his register number.
View ArticleGet on his approved call list once you've confirmed the federal facility.
View ArticlePO Box 300 in Waymart, with a separate address line for camp inmates.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified August 18, 2026.