Sing Sing Correctional Facility: Visits, Mail, Phone & Money

Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum-security state prison in Ossining, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) at 354 Hunter Street, roughly 30 miles north of New York City.¹ If you are trying to reach someone held there, the practical path is short: confirm they are at Sing Sing through the DOCCS lookup, get on their approved visitor list before you travel, and follow the DOCCS rules for mail, packages, and money deposits. Phone calls from inside are now free.

Confirm the Person Is Held at Sing Sing

Before you plan anything, verify that the person you want to reach is actually at this facility. DOCCS maintains a free online incarcerated lookup where you can search by last name (optionally with birth year), Department Identification Number (DIN), or NYSID number.² The results show the current facility and basic identifying information.

Write down the DIN. You will need it to address mail, schedule visits, and deposit money. Nothing else works smoothly without it.

Visiting Sing Sing

Visitation at every DOCCS facility is governed by Directive 4403, the Incarcerated Individual Visitor Program.³ Showing up unprepared will cost you the visit, so work through the pieces below before you leave the house.

Days and Hours

As of 2026, Sing Sing allows visits on Wednesdays and weekends from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.¹ Some DOCCS facilities split visiting days by whether the DIN ends in an odd or even digit, but Sing Sing’s posted schedule does not. Check the DOCCS facility page shortly before you travel, because schedules can change.

Get on the Approved Visitor List First

Only people on the incarcerated person’s approved visitor list are admitted. Approval takes time, so coordinate with the person inside or contact the facility well before your planned visit. Without that advance approval, you will be turned away at the gate regardless of your relationship.

Identification and Facial Recognition

Every visitor must present valid, unexpired photo identification. A driver’s license, non-driver state ID, other government-issued photo ID, military ID, or an employment ID with a photo all qualify. Birth or baptismal certificates do not count as ID for adults, though they can be used for minor children. Use the same ID on every visit.³

Every visitor over 18 must also submit to facial recognition scanning. Refusing means you will not be allowed in.³

Dress Code

DOCCS enforces the dress code strictly. The following will get you turned away: see-through clothing, bare midriffs or backs, plunging necklines, short shorts or athletic shorts, skirts or shorts above mid-thigh, mini-skirts, bare feet, and bathing suits. Metal components such as decorative buckles, studs, or underwire bras may set off the detector and delay or block entry.³ When in doubt, dress conservatively and leave metal at home.

What You Can and Can’t Bring

Cell phones, recording devices, and sharp objects are prohibited inside. Lockers are usually available near the entrance for anything you can’t take in. You may carry a limited amount of cash in small bills or coins for the vending machines in the visiting area.

Inside the Visit

After check-in you’ll pass through a metal detector and have personal items scanned. Staff verify your identity against the approved list and may hand-stamp you for re-entry. From there, officers escort visitors through secure corridors to the visiting room.

Physical contact is limited. Most visits allow a brief embrace at the beginning and end, nothing sustained. Officers and cameras monitor the room throughout. When the visit ends, or when the room reaches capacity, follow the officers’ instructions promptly; disruptive behavior can lead to loss of future visiting privileges.

Family Reunion Program

DOCCS also runs a Family Reunion Program allowing eligible incarcerated individuals extended overnight visits with approved family members in a private residential setting on facility grounds.⁴ Eligible visitors can include spouses, children, parents, and other family. Visits typically last up to two nights and occur every few months.

Eligibility is not automatic. The incarcerated individual must have been in DOCCS custody for at least six months, have a pattern of good institutional behavior with no major disciplinary violations, and be participating in the programs on their plan. Several conditions disqualify someone entirely: assignment to a Special Housing Unit for disciplinary reasons, administrative segregation, eligibility for temporary release (unless that application was denied), or an active suspension of visiting privileges under Directive 4403.⁴ A Tier II disciplinary violation during the program triggers a six-month suspension, and a Tier III violation results in a twelve-month suspension.

Mail and Packages

How to Address Mail

Address letters using the person’s full legal name and DIN:

[Full Legal Name], [DIN]
Sing Sing Correctional Facility
354 Hunter Street
Ossining, NY 10562¹

What Happens to Incoming Mail

Incoming general correspondence is opened and inspected for cash, checks, money orders, newspaper clippings, and contraband. The incarcerated person does not need to be present during inspection. Mail is not read unless there is specific evidence it contains plans for smuggling contraband, plans for criminal activity including escape, or information that would create a clear and present danger to safety or facility security. When a superintendent authorizes reading someone’s mail, that authorization lasts 60 days and must be renewed.⁵

Do not send cash in the mail. It can trigger disciplinary action for the person inside and legal consequences for you.

Food Packages

Under DOCCS Directive 4911, an incarcerated individual may receive up to two food packages per month, with the combined weight of all food packages in a month capped at 35 pounds.⁶ Items must arrive in their original commercial packaging. Alcohol, certain perishables, and anything that poses a security risk will be rejected.

Phone Calls Are Now Free

As of August 1, 2025, all telephone calls from incarcerated individuals in New York State correctional facilities are free of charge.⁷ Families no longer need to deposit money specifically to fund calls.

Depositing Money Into an Account

People inside still need funds for the commissary and other personal expenses. DOCCS contracts with JPay for electronic deposits, and there are several ways to send money.⁸

In person: leave cash, money orders, or checks in the deposit lockbox at the facility. Money orders and checks require a facility-provided JPay deposit slip.
Online or mobile app: deposit by credit or debit card through JPay’s website or free app.
By phone: call 1-800-574-5729 to deposit with a credit card.
MoneyGram: make a cash deposit at any MoneyGram location using receive code 1317.
By mail: send a check or money order with a JPay deposit slip to the JPay lockbox address.

JPay charges a service fee that varies by amount. A deposit of $20 to $49.99 online or by phone costs $3.25 in fees; $50 to $300 costs $4.25.⁸ Dropping cash directly into the facility lockbox during a visit avoids these fees.

Grievances and Legal Access

People at Sing Sing can file formal grievances under DOCCS Directive 4040 to challenge how any DOCCS policy, regulation, or rule is applied. The person filing must be personally affected; class-action grievances are not accepted.⁹ DOCCS encourages trying informal resolution through guidance and counseling or the affected program area first, though facilities cannot require that step before a formal grievance.

The formal process has three stages:

Step 1, IGRC: the Incarcerated Grievance Resolution Committee, made up of elected peers and appointed staff, hears the complaint first.
Step 2, Superintendent: an appeal from the IGRC decision goes to the facility superintendent.
Step 3, CORC: a final appeal goes to the Central Office Review Committee, which acts on behalf of the Commissioner.⁹

Some matters sit outside the grievance system: individual decisions from the temporary release committee, time allowance committee, disciplinary proceedings, and property claims. The underlying policies behind those decisions can still be grieved.⁹

For legal research, DOCCS runs a law library program under Directive 4483 that gives people inside access to legal materials for preparing court filings and other legal documents.¹⁰

1
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Sing Sing Correctional Facility
2
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Incarcerated Lookup
3
New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Directive 4403 – Incarcerated Individual Visitor Program
4
New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Directive 4500 – Family Reunion Program
5
New York State Department of Correctional Services. Directive 4422 – Inmate Correspondence Program
6
New York State. DOCCS Directive 4911 – Packages
7
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Telephone Calls
8
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Account Deposits
9
New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Incarcerated Grievance Program – Directive 4040
10
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Law Library Program