Federal Correctional Institution McDowell Overview
Federal Correctional Institution McDowell is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The official BOP page lists the institution at 101 Federal Drive, Welch, WV 24801, with phone 304-436-7300 and fax 304-436-7318. The research also captured an executive assistant email, MCD-ExecAssistant-S@bop.gov, from official context.
FCI McDowell is in the Southern West Virginia judicial district. BOP describes it as a medium-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp for male offenders. It is physically in McDowell County, but it is not the McDowell County jail and is not searched through WVDCR's regional jail portal.
This distinction prevents a common lookup mistake. A person arrested by local law enforcement in McDowell County should first be checked in the WVDCR regional jail search and daily incarcerations. A sentenced federal inmate from 1982 to present should be checked through the BOP inmate locator. A federal pretrial detainee may not appear in BOP locator results until designated to BOP custody, so federal court records and counsel may be needed for pretrial cases.
FCI McDowell Capacity and Population
BOP official search and population context checked in July 2026 listed about 1,658 total inmates at FCI McDowell, including about 1,588 at the FCI and 70 at the camp. BOP population statistics refresh weekly, so those figures should be treated as a recent published count rather than a fixed capacity or guarantee of today's exact population.
The federal population is separate from McDowell County's regional jail population and separate from Stevens Correctional Center's state-prison population. FCI McDowell holds male federal offenders. It does not hold ordinary McDowell County pretrial arrestees unless a federal process, federal designation, or another federal custody arrangement applies.
How to Look Up an Inmate at FCI McDowell
Use the BOP inmate locator for Federal Correctional Institution McDowell. The locator covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present. BOP warns that release dates may change because of sentence review or recalculation, and a result showing "Released" or "Not in BOP Custody" means the person is no longer in BOP custody but may still be in another criminal justice system.
- Open the official BOP inmate locator.
- Search by number if you have a BOP register number, DCDC number, FBI number, or INS number.
- If searching by name, enter first, middle if known, and last name, then narrow with age, race, and sex filters when needed.
- Review result fields such as name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location to confirm FCI McDowell placement.
The BOP inmate locator does not show public federal mugshots. Do not promise a federal booking photo from this search. For federal case filings, use the appropriate court record system. For immigration custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator if an immigration hold or ICE transfer is suspected, but no ICE detention facility was located in McDowell County.
The BOP inmate locator is the official federal search tool for FCI McDowell inmates.
The locator is the correct lookup channel for sentenced federal custody, while WVDCR tools remain the correct route for McDowell County regional jail or state prison custody.
FCI McDowell Address and Contact
The official BOP facility page is the best source for current visiting documents, mail rules, money instructions, admissions materials, legal activities information, commissary list, and PREA report links. Call the institution before travel, and do not send inmate money to the institution address.
Federal Correctional Institution McDowell
101 Federal Drive
Welch, WV 24801
304-436-7300
Fax: 304-436-7318
Email: MCD-ExecAssistant-S@bop.gov
The BOP page for FCI McDowell provides institution-specific federal facility links.
Use the BOP facility page for federal institution procedures and the BOP locator for inmate location. Neither page replaces McDowell County court or WVDCR regional jail records for local arrests.
Visiting Someone at FCI McDowell
BOP visiting is federal facility-specific. The FCI McDowell page links a visiting overview and facility visiting schedule or procedures PDF. The research notes that a warden may restrict or cancel visits for security, weather, or operational reasons, so visitors should confirm the current schedule and approval requirements before traveling to Welch.
| Visit Issue | Published Detail | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Facility schedule | Facility-specific PDF linked from BOP page | Check the current PDF before travel |
| Security level | Medium FCI plus minimum-security camp | Confirm which unit the inmate is assigned to |
| Restrictions | Warden may restrict or cancel visits | Call the facility for current status |
| Local jail visit rules | Do not apply to FCI McDowell | Use BOP rules, not WVDCR jail rules |
Mail, Phone, and Money at FCI McDowell
BOP mail and money rules differ from WVDCR rules. The facility page instructs users to use the facility's mail address format with the inmate's name and register number. For camp inmates, include the satellite camp designation as shown on the BOP page. The BOP page also says not to send money to the institution address; mailed funds go to the national processing center in Des Moines, Iowa.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail Address | Use BOP's FCI McDowell format with inmate name and register number; include camp designation when applicable |
| Phone | Use BOP institution rules and inmate communication procedures |
| Money Deposit | Do not mail money to FCI McDowell; BOP directs mailed funds to the Des Moines processing center |
| Mugshots | BOP inmate locator does not provide public federal mugshots |
Federal Custody, Pretrial Detention, and Designation
FCI McDowell is a federal institution, so its intake path differs from local booking. Federal defendants may move through U.S. Marshals custody, federal court proceedings, presentence processes, sentencing, and BOP designation. A federal pretrial detainee may be housed under arrangements that do not appear as an FCI McDowell placement in the public BOP locator until BOP custody or designation applies.
For a local McDowell arrest, the first public custody check is WVDCR regional jail search and Southwestern Regional Jail. For a sentenced West Virginia state prisoner, the first public custody check is WVDCR's DOC locator. For a federal sentenced inmate, use the BOP locator and confirm FCI McDowell placement by result location.
About Federal Correctional Institution McDowell
FCI McDowell is a major correctional presence in Welch, but it belongs to the federal system. That status affects every lookup question: federal records, BOP locator results, BOP mail rules, BOP visiting documents, and federal court records are the relevant channels. West Virginia regional jail and state DOC tools do not search federal BOP custody.
The research also noted a February 19, 2024 Associated Press report about arrests in an investigation into alleged drone deliveries of contraband into the federal prison in Welch. That item is federal prison news and should not be read as a county jail condition report. For current security, visiting, or legal-mail rules, use the current BOP facility page and call the institution.
Note: Confirm federal custody through BOP because county and state search tools do not locate FCI McDowell inmates.