Florence Federal Prison: ADX, Inmate Search, Visits, and Mail

Florence federal prison is not a single institution but a Bureau of Prisons complex in Fremont County, Colorado, made up of four separate facilities operating side by side at different security levels: a minimum-security satellite camp, the medium-security FCI Florence, the high-security USP Florence, and ADX Florence, the only federal supermax in the United States. If you’re trying to reach someone held there, the first thing you need to know is which of the four facilities they’re in, because the mailing address, visiting rules, and contact restrictions all follow from that.

The Four Facilities and Their Addresses

Each facility at the Florence complex has its own mailing address, and using the wrong one is one of the most common reasons mail gets delayed or returned. Always include the inmate’s full committed name (no nicknames) and their eight-digit register number on the envelope.

USP Florence – High holds people who require the tightest perimeter control and internal supervision, typically those with histories of violence, escape attempts, or gang leadership. Mail goes to:

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
USP Florence – High
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 7000
Florence, CO 81226¹

FCI Florence is the medium-security institution, with double perimeter fencing, electronic detection, and a higher staff-to-inmate ratio than lower-level prisons. It offers GED preparation, English as a second language, adult continuing education, vocational training in trades such as building construction, cabinet-making, and culinary arts, and a Residential Drug Abuse Program.

The satellite camp adjacent to FCI Florence holds roughly 311 inmates in dormitory-style housing with no perimeter fencing.² People assigned here generally have shorter remaining sentences and no history of violence or escape, and often work maintaining the grounds of the wider complex.

ADX Florence, formally USP Administrative Maximum, has its own address:

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
USP Florence ADMAX
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 8500
Florence, CO 81226³

ADX Florence and Special Administrative Measures

ADX exists for people who have shown they cannot be safely housed at any other high-security facility, including those who have attacked inmates or staff, orchestrated violence from behind bars, or escaped elsewhere. The facility has held individuals convicted of terrorism, espionage, large-scale drug trafficking, and organized crime leadership.

Cells are poured concrete with fixed concrete furniture and a shower and toilet inside. Inmates spend 22 to 24 hours a day in the cell, eat meals there, and often see medical staff by teleconference rather than in person. Movement outside the cell involves mechanical restraints. For families, that means visits and contact are far more limited than at other federal prisons, even before any additional restrictions are layered on top.

Some ADX inmates are held under Special Administrative Measures, or SAMs. These are restrictions imposed by direct authorization of the Attorney General. Under 28 C.F.R. § 501.2, they can be used to prevent disclosure of classified information when an intelligence agency certifies that an inmate poses a national security risk.⁴ Under 28 C.F.R. § 501.3, they can be imposed when an inmate’s communications could result in death, serious injury, or substantial property damage tied to violence or terrorism.⁵

SAMs typically restrict correspondence, phone calls, media interviews, and visitation. They can be imposed for up to one year and renewed indefinitely in one-year increments as long as the Attorney General continues to receive written certification that the risk persists.⁵ An inmate under SAMs can challenge the restrictions through the Bureau’s Administrative Remedy Program, but in practice those challenges rarely succeed. For a family, SAMs can mean months without a phone call or visit.

Finding Someone at Florence

Before you can send mail, deposit money, or apply to visit, you need the inmate’s eight-digit register number and confirmation of which facility they’re in. The Bureau of Prisons runs an online inmate locator covering everyone in the federal system from 1982 to the present, searchable by name, race, sex, and age. It returns the current facility, register number, and projected release date.⁶

Getting Approved to Visit

Visitation at any Florence facility runs through an approval process that starts with the inmate, not the visitor. The inmate receives a Visitor Information Form (BP-A0629) and mails a copy to each person they want on their list.⁷ The prospective visitor fills in personal identifying information and mails the completed form back to the facility.⁸

Facility staff then run a background investigation, which can include checking the National Crime Information Center and contacting other law enforcement agencies.⁷ Final approval rests with the warden. Once cleared, your name goes on the inmate’s electronic visitor list. Call the facility before you travel to confirm your status and the current visiting schedule; staff will turn away anyone not pre-cleared.

Visitors under 18 need a parent or legal guardian to sign the Visitor Information Form, and children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult throughout the visit.⁹

Attorneys are a separate category of approved visitor and can be added to an inmate’s list.⁷ Attorney-client communications are treated as privileged and not monitored. Scheduling rules for legal visits differ from social visits, and each facility in the complex may handle them differently, so contact the specific institution directly.

What to Expect on Visit Day

The Bureau requires visitors to dress as they would for a public setting with men, women, and children present. Staff can deny entry to anyone wearing clothing they consider provocative or revealing. Items generally prohibited include:

Halter tops, crop tops, low-cut blouses, backless tops, sleeveless garments, and see-through clothing
Miniskirts, revealing shorts, spandex, and skirts more than two inches above the knee
Hats or caps, bathing suits, leotards, and anything resembling inmate clothing such as khaki or green military-style garments⁷

Limited physical contact is allowed. Handshakes, embraces, and kisses are ordinarily permitted at the start and end of a visit, but staff can restrict contact if they believe it threatens security or opens the door to contraband.⁹ You cannot bring gifts or articles for the inmate. Personal items brought into the visiting room must be carried in a clear plastic bag, and every visitor signs a statement before entering confirming they have nothing that could threaten institutional security.

Mail, Books, and Packages

Regular letter mail does not require prior approval. Packages from home do; the unit team has to authorize them in writing before they’re sent. Books, magazines, and other publications follow a separate rule and must ship directly from the publisher or an approved retailer, not from a visitor’s home.¹⁰ Subscriptions don’t need prior approval, but the facility can reject any publication it determines would threaten security or facilitate criminal activity.

Phone Calls and Electronic Messages

Federal inmates are generally limited to 300 phone minutes per calendar month, with each call capped at 15 minutes.¹¹ The Bureau changed its phone policy in January 2025. Inmates participating in First Step Act Evidence-Based Recidivism Reduction programs now receive 300 free phone minutes each month. Those who choose not to participate pay for their own calls at FCC-regulated rates of $0.06 per minute for audio and $0.16 per minute for video.¹² All calls are monitored except calls to attorneys.

Text-based messages run through TRULINCS, the Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System. This is a closed system, not email in the ordinary sense. Inmates cannot access the internet, social media, or any outside website; messages travel only between the inmate’s terminal and approved correspondents, and the cost of each message comes out of the commissary account.

Sending Money to an Inmate’s Account

Family and friends can add funds to an inmate’s commissary account by mailing an acceptable money order, cashier’s check, or certified check to the Bureau’s centralized lockbox. The inmate’s full committed name and eight-digit register number must appear on both the negotiable instrument and the envelope.¹³ The address is:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
P.O. Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

Western Union offers a faster electronic option.¹⁴ Fees vary by method and amount, and the Bureau’s website does not list specific figures, so check Western Union directly for current pricing. Commissary funds let the inmate buy hygiene items, snacks, stamps, and other personal necessities not provided by the institution.

1
Federal Bureau of Prisons. USP Florence – High
2
Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Florence
3
Federal Bureau of Prisons. USP Florence ADMAX
4
eCFR. 28 CFR Part 501 – Scope of Rules
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eCFR. 28 CFR 501.3 – Prevention of Acts of Violence and Terrorism
6
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Find an Inmate
7
Federal Bureau of Prisons. How to Visit a Federal Inmate
8
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Visitor Information
9
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Visiting Regulations
10
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Stay in Touch
11
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement P5264.08 – Inmate Telephone Regulations
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Federal Bureau of Prisons. FBOP Updates to Phone Call Policies and Time Credit System
13
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service
14
Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using Western Union