Use this website for informational purposes only.
The MDC Brooklyn is commonly known as the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn. The facility is a United States federal administrative detention facility located in Brooklyn, New York. This facility houses both adult male and adult female inmates of all security levels. This facility is operated and managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Majority of inmates in the MDC Brooklyn typically have a pending case in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. MDC Brooklyn usually holds inmates serving shorter sentences.
MDC Brooklyn opened their doors back in the early 1900s. There were many critics from the local elected officials, and the neighbors surrounded the facility. They all feared that the facility would burden their neighborhood traffic along with their sewer and water systems.
The prison was built to house 1,000 inmates waiting for their trial.
It was not until 1999, that a second facility opened their doors. This facility is adjacent to the main campus. Its purpose is to house those inmates who already have been convicted of their crimes and waiting to be transferred out to their permanent home. With this addition, it brought the total number of inmates up to 3,000. This made the MDC Brooklyn the largest detention facility in the United States of America.
We have given below important need to know information such as how to find someone at MDC Brooklyn, how to send money, mail, care packages and visit an inmate.
How to Find Someone in MDC Brooklyn
MDC Brooklyn is a federal prison. The easiest way to lookup an inmate in federal prisons is going to the BOP website. They have a database where you can search all federal inmates.
Sending a Mail/Care Package
Inmates can receive mail (cards, letters, etc). You can send mail to the following address.
INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
MDC Brooklyn
Metropolitan Detention Center
P.O. Box 329002
Brooklyn, NY 11232
Inmates can get mailed books, magazines, newspapers; however, they need to be mailed and sent from the publisher. You cannot box up these items and send it from your home.
Inmates are NOT allowed to get care packages without prior approval from their inmate unit team.
Sending Money
You can put money into your inmate's commissary account by Western Union or MoneyGram. Each option you can do online or in person.
You will need to the following information
- Inmate Name
- Register Number (inmate number)
- City (always will be FBOP)
- State (always will be DC)
If you can’t get down to either Western Union or MoneyGram, you can send money directly to their PO box. That information is:
INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
P.O. Box 474702
Des Moines, Iowa 50947
Do NOT send money to an inmate using the MDC Brooklyn address. All funds sent through the mail must be addressed to a processing center in Des Moines, Iowa. This applies to all Federal inmates, regardless of where they are incarcerated.
The last way to stay in touch with an inmate at MDC Brooklyn is through email. Email is also through Trulincs.
The email program is funded by the inmate trust fund, which is kept up with purchases from the commissary, the telephone service, and fees paid directly to Trulincs.
Emails are monitored and screened for content not suitable for them.
Admissions and Orientation Handbook
Your first day in prison, you are bombarded with a ton of information. One booklet you will be giving is the Admissions and Orientation (A&O) Handbook.
This handbook will supply you with general information about the prison itself alongside the prison’s rules, programs, and regulations you will have to follow while you are serving out your sentence.
It will be in your best interest to familiarize yourself with handbook as it is your responsibility to transition smoothly to prison life.
Commissary
The commissary was founded in 1930 by the Department of Justice. The Commissary was placed in all Federal Institutions.
The commissary allows inmates to shop for “luxury” items while they are in prison. Funds are typically deposited by their friends, families, and their prison jobs.
Inmates have a spending limit of $360 per month. The commissary is only open on a designated day of the week where they can utilize the shop.
All federal prisons have their commissary list with prices available to the public.
Legal Activities
Even when in prison, you may still need legal counsel. There are strict procedures one will have to follow to obtain legal reference materials alongside their legal counsel.
There are also many opportunities to be taken advantage of to afford the proposal of legal documents when behind bars.
All procedures for legal activities can be located here.
Visitation
Visitation in MDC Brooklyn is a bit different than most of the federal prisons. Visitation runs every day of the week, but for certain floors and buildings. Visitation goes as follows:
• Inmates with an even 5th number in their register number will have afternoon visit rights in the following months: February, April, June, October, and December
• Inmates with an odd 5th number in their register number will have evening visit rights in the following months: February, April, June, October, and December
• Inmates with an even 5th number in their register number will have evening visit rights in the following months: January, March, May, July, September, and November
• Inmates with an odd 5th number in their register number will have afternoon visit rights in the following months: January, March, May, July, September, and November
The afternoon visit time is from 12pm to 3pm. The evening visit time is 5pm to 7:30pm. Visits are only permitted to be an hour long.
For inmates that are not being housed in the MDC Brooklyn main campus building and are in the East or West building, their visitation will be the following:
West Building
Monday – 6th Floor 61-63 Units
Tuesday – 7th Floor 71-73 Units
Wednesday – 8th Floor 81-83 Units
Thursday – 4th Floor 41-43 Units
Friday – 5th Floor, 51-53 Units
Saturday & Sunday – Legal Visits Only
East Building
Monday – 5th Floor
Tuesday – 4th Floor
Wednesday – 6th Floor
Thursday – 2nd Floor, North Wing
Friday, Saturday, & Sunday- Cadre Only
How Often Can I Visit?
This will depend on what rank the inmate is. There are three ranks:
- LSCI – 12 points
- FCI – 5 points
- USP – 9 points
Here is the point schedule for visitations:
FCI
- Each visit is one point regardless of the day.
LSCI
- 2 points for weekend visits
- 2 points for federal holidays visits
- 1 point for weekday visits
USP
- 2 points for weekend visits
- 0 points for federal holiday visits
- 1 point for weekday visits.
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Prison Life
MDC Brooklyn has an average of 1,785 male and female inmates currently. These inmates vary for their sentence time and their security level. The MDC Brooklyn on average sees about 8,400 yearly admissions. However, they on average deal with 44,000 inmates each year.
Majority of inmates are only housed in MDC Brooklyn anywhere between 120 to 180 days. MDC Brooklyn also is home to about 350 Cadre prisoners whose job is to maintain the upkeep of the prison.
Prisoners do share cells with one another. They can range from two bunks to multiple bunks in each cell.
With MDC Brooklyn a short-term place for many inmates, their services and programs are not as great as some other federal prisons. But they do offer the following services and programs for their inmates:
• Medical Services
• Psychology Services
• Drug Education Class
• Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program
• GED Prep
• English-as-a-Second Language Program
• Library Services
• Commissary
• Recreational Programs.
