The Petersburg VA federal prison is actually a three-facility complex — Federal Correctional Complex Petersburg — located at 1060 River Road in Hopewell, Virginia, about 25 miles southeast of Richmond.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Petersburg Medium If someone you know is held there, the three things that trip people up are using the right facility name on mail, getting money to the correct lockbox, and understanding that you cannot visit until the inmate puts you on an approved list first. Each piece has specific rules, and small errors cause returned mail, delayed deposits, and wasted trips to Hopewell.
Which Facility Holds Your Inmate
FCC Petersburg contains three separate facilities with different security levels:
- FCI Petersburg Low — a low-security institution with roughly 454 inmates.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Petersburg Low
- Satellite Prison Camp — a minimum-security camp adjacent to the Low facility, holding about 137 inmates.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Petersburg Low
- FCI Petersburg Medium — a medium-security institution with roughly 1,525 inmates that operates as a Sex Offender Management Program facility.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Petersburg Medium
You need to know which one holds your inmate before you address an envelope or try to visit. If you aren’t sure, use the BOP’s online inmate locator with the person’s name or register number. The facility name is the piece that routes mail internally, so getting that line wrong is the most common reason correspondence doesn’t arrive.
Mailing Address and How to Address a Letter
All three Petersburg facilities use the same P.O. Box. What changes is the facility line. Every envelope must include the inmate’s full committed name (no nicknames) and their eight-digit register number, which looks like 12345-067.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties
For the Low:
Inmate Name & Register Number
FCI Petersburg Low
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1000
Petersburg, VA 238042Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Petersburg Low
For the Medium:
Inmate Name & Register Number
FCI Petersburg Medium
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1000
Petersburg, VA 238041Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Petersburg Medium
For the camp:
Inmate Name & Register Number
Satellite Camp
FCI Petersburg Low
P.O. Box 1000
Petersburg, VA 23804
Staff inspect all non-privileged incoming mail. Anything that can’t be searched without being destroyed gets returned to the sender. That includes padded cards, electronic greeting cards with chips or batteries, and double-faced photographs.4Federal Bureau of Prisons. Mail Management Manual Plain letters, standard greeting cards, and ordinary single-sided photos go through.
Attorney and Special Mail
Legal mail gets opened only in the inmate’s presence, and staff do not read or copy it, but only if the envelope is prepared correctly. The sender must be clearly identified on the envelope, and the front must be marked “Special Mail — Open only in the presence of the inmate.”5eCFR. 28 CFR 540.18 – Special Mail Miss either requirement and staff can treat the envelope as regular correspondence and read it.
Sending Money
Inmates have trust fund accounts they use for commissary, phone minutes, and electronic messages. There are two ways to put money in, and both require the inmate’s full name and eight-digit register number.
Mail a Money Order to the BOP Lockbox
Mail money orders, U.S. government checks, cashier’s checks, or bank drafts to the BOP’s national processing center in Iowa. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties Do not mail money to the prison itself. Send it to:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
[Inmate Name]
[Inmate Register Number]
P.O. Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-00016Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service
Put a return address on the envelope. If the inmate information is wrong, the BOP sends the money back to that address. Non-postal money orders and non-government checks are held for 15 days before the inmate can spend them.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties USPS money orders typically clear faster.
Electronic Transfers
Western Union and MoneyGram both deposit to BOP accounts, and funds post faster than mail. For the “Account Number” field, enter the eight-digit register number followed immediately by the inmate’s last name, with no spaces or dashes, like this: 12345678DOE.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties MoneyGram uses Receive Code 7932 and caps each transaction at $300. Both services charge their own fees on top of the deposit.
Getting Approved to Visit
You cannot visit on walk-in. The process starts with the inmate. The inmate mails you a Visitor Information form (BP-A0629), you fill out your section — including Social Security number and your relationship to the inmate — and you mail it back to the institution.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. How to Visit a Federal Inmate Staff then run a background check, and the warden decides. A criminal record isn’t automatically disqualifying, but certain convictions or open warrants will keep you off the list.
Once you’re cleared, the inmate is supposed to tell you. Wait for that confirmation before you book travel.
Who can be on the list: immediate family (parents, siblings, spouse, children), extended relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins), and up to ten friends or associates. Those friends must have had a relationship with the inmate before incarceration.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. How to Visit a Federal Inmate Attorneys, clergy, and employers go through a separate verification process.
What to Bring and What to Expect on Visit Day
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. A driver’s license or passport works. Staff verify every visitor’s identity before entry, and you’ll sign a statement acknowledging the visiting rules and confirming you aren’t carrying anything that threatens security.8eCFR. 28 CFR 540.51 – Procedures Refuse to sign and you don’t get in.
You will pass through metal detectors, and your belongings will be searched. Personal items go in a locker. You cannot bring anything into the visiting room for the inmate; items an inmate is allowed to have must arrive through approved mail or the commissary.9Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Personal Property
Dress Code and Contact Rules
No camouflage, no open-toed shoes, nothing that resembles an inmate uniform, nothing excessively revealing. Dress conservatively. Staff turn visitors away at the door for dress code violations, and a two-hour drive doesn’t earn you an exception.
Physical contact is limited to a brief handshake, embrace, and kiss at the beginning and end of the visit. Staff supervise the room throughout and can end any visit that isn’t conducted in a quiet, orderly manner. Violations can also cost the inmate future visiting privileges.8eCFR. 28 CFR 540.51 – Procedures
Address and Phone
The physical address of the complex is 1060 River Road, Hopewell, VA 23860. The main number for FCI Petersburg Medium is (804) 504-7200.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Petersburg Medium Call before you drive. Visiting hours and procedures change for lockdowns and staffing, and those changes don’t always make it to the website before they take effect.