If someone you know is at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, inmate contact, visits, and mail all work under standard Federal Bureau of Prisons rules, with one wrinkle: this is a short-term transit hub, not a place where people stay. Phone calls, CorrLinks email, letters, trust-fund deposits, and weekend visits are all available, but approvals take time and inmates can be moved out before paperwork clears. Start every process as early as you can.
Confirm Where the Inmate Actually Is
FTC Oklahoma City operates with the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS), the U.S. Marshals Service branch that flies federal inmates between facilities.{1Federal Bureau of Prisons. FTC Oklahoma City has One-of-a-Kind Mission} JPATS uses circular flight routes, so even a transfer between two nearby prisons can involve a layover of several weeks in Oklahoma City. Families are not given scheduling details.{2U.S. Marshals Service. Prisoner Transportation}
If your family member goes quiet for a stretch, check the BOP inmate locator at bop.gov/inmateloc. It is the most reliable way to confirm current location. The facility holds both men and women in separate units and has roughly 1,065 beds.
Phone Calls
Inmates place calls from phones in the housing units to numbers on a pre-approved contact list. Each call is capped at 15 minutes, with a warning tone about a minute before the line cuts off.{3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5264.08 – Inmate Telephone Regulations} All calls are monitored and recorded.
Under rates effective January 2025, audio calls run $0.06 per minute and video calls $0.16 per minute.{4Federal Bureau of Prisons. FBOP Updates to Phone Call Policies and Time Credit System} The charge comes from the inmate’s trust fund account, so a zero balance means no calls. Getting onto the approved contact list happens after intake processing, which can take several days before the first call reaches you.
Attorneys can request unmonitored calls, arranged through the facility rather than the standard phone system.{5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties}
Email Through CorrLinks
Electronic messaging runs through TRULINCS, the Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System. Messages are text-only, capped at roughly 13,000 characters (about two pages), with no attachments.{5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties} Inmates have no internet access, and staff screen every message before it is delivered.
To exchange messages, you need to be on the inmate’s approved contact list and set up an account at corrlinks.com. The inmate pays a small per-message fee from the trust fund. Because this is a transit facility, setup can lag behind the move; inmates sometimes transfer before a contact list is finished. If you know someone is headed to Oklahoma City, getting your contact details to them before arrival saves time.
Letters and Legal Mail
Address every envelope using the inmate’s full legal name (no nicknames) and their eight-digit register number, both on the envelope and on anything inside it.{6Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service} Use the mailing format listed on the facility’s page at bop.gov. Every incoming letter is physically inspected for contraband before it reaches the housing unit.
Attorney correspondence gets different handling. The envelope must carry the attorney’s name, a notation of their status as an attorney, and the phrase “Special Mail—Open only in the presence of the inmate.” Mail marked this way is opened with the inmate present and inspected for physical contraband, but staff do not read it.{7eCFR. 28 CFR 540.19 – Legal Correspondence} Without the proper markings, legal mail is treated as regular mail and may be read during screening.
Putting Money in the Trust Account
Inmates need a balance for phone calls, CorrLinks messages, and commissary. You cannot hand-deliver cash or send a personal check. The accepted methods are:
- By mail: send a U.S. postal money order to the Bureau of Prisons National Lockbox, P.O. Box 474701, Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001. Print the inmate’s full legal name and eight-digit register number on both the money order and the envelope.{}6Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service
- Western Union: use the Send2Corrections mobile app, send2corrections.com, 1-800-634-3422, or cash at a Western Union agent. The receiving code is the inmate’s eight-digit register number followed by their last name with no spaces or dashes.{}8Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using Western Union
- MoneyGram is also accepted, with online transactions limited to $300 per transfer.
Funds sent electronically between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern time usually post within two to four hours. Transfers sent after 9:00 p.m. post the next morning at 7:00 a.m.{5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties} Mailed money orders take longer because of postal transit and lockbox processing.
Commissary and Personal Property
Commissary spending is capped at $360 per month, with a $50 increase during the November/December holiday period.{9Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 4500.011 – Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual} Postage stamps, nicotine replacement patches, and over-the-counter medications do not count toward the limit.
Property rules at a transfer facility are tighter than at a permanent institution. Inmates may only keep items that were authorized at admission, issued by staff, or bought from the commissary. No civilian clothing is allowed, and clothing in blue, black, red, or camouflage is prohibited.{10Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5580.08 – Inmate Personal Property} If the receiving institution later disallows an item purchased at a prior commissary, such as a radio or watch, the inmate can mail it home at that facility’s expense.
Getting Approved to Visit
Visiting requires advance approval. During intake, the inmate receives a Visitor Information Form (BP-A0629) and mails a copy to each person they want on the list. You complete the remaining fields, including your Social Security number, address, and relationship to the inmate, then return the form to the institution address printed on it.{11Federal Bureau of Prisons. General Visiting Information}{12Federal Bureau of Prisons. BP-A0629 – Visitor Information}
Staff run a criminal background check and may contact other law enforcement before approving you. Approval generally goes to immediate family and a limited number of people with a documented prior relationship. Once you are approved, the inmate is responsible for letting you know. The process can run weeks, and because transit stays can be short, some families are approved only after their person has already moved on. Start the paperwork early.
Children must also be on the approved list. Immediate family, including children, can sometimes visit before the list is finalized if they can be verified through the inmate’s Pre-Sentence Report.{11Federal Bureau of Prisons. General Visiting Information} Call the facility ahead of a visit to confirm whether that applies.
Visiting Hours and What to Expect
Visiting runs Saturday, Sunday, and federal holidays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. No one is admitted after 2:00 p.m.{13Federal Bureau of Prisons. FTC Oklahoma City Visiting Schedule and Procedures} Call the facility before you travel. Visiting hours can be modified for severe weather, security concerns, or housing-unit restrictions.
Bring a government-issued photo ID. You will pass through a metal detector and may be subject to a pat-down search. Leave cell phones, recording devices, and excess cash in your car or in a locker if one is available.
Handshakes, hugs, and kisses in good taste are permitted at the start and end of a visit. Staff may restrict contact where there are security concerns or risk of contraband.{14Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5267.09 – Visiting Regulations} The visiting room is monitored continuously, and any rule violation can end the visit on the spot and cost you future visiting privileges.