Federal Correctional Institution · Mendota, California
FCI Mendota
- Security level
- Medium + minimum camp
- Medical care level
- 1 of 4
- Mental health care level
- 1 of 4
- Population
- 690
- Phone
- 559-274-4000
Last checked: November 3, 2026 (BOP documents for this prison) Intel last checked: November 3, 2026 BOP status updated: Nov 4, 2026, 11:10 pm ET News updated: Nov 4, 2026, 10:30 am ET
Your loved one here? Look up their exact committed name
Mendota at a glance
Mendota is a medium-security prison (FCI) with a satellite prison camp (SPC) next to it. The address is 33500 West California Avenue, Mendota, California 93640.
- How many people
- 570 in the FCI and 120 at the camp (BOP, October 29, 2026).
- Medical care level 1
- Generally healthy people under 70 who need to see a clinician only every 6 to 12 months. Examples the BOP gives: mild asthma, diet-controlled diabetes, well-controlled high blood pressure. Click here to read the source: BOP "Institution Care Levels for Medical Assignment," February 13, 2024 (released under FOIA 2024-03455) ↗
- Mental health care level 1
- No regular mental health care. People with a major mental illness, or who take antipsychotic medication, are not ordinarily classified at this level. The BOP does not post care levels on its website. This list is dated February 13, 2024 and came out through a public records request. Click here to read the source: BOP "Institution Care Levels for Medical Assignment," February 13, 2024 (released under FOIA 2024-03455) ↗
- Built for
- 1,280 people Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FCI Mendota (onsite March 26 to 28, 2024) ↗
- Age range at the time of the audit
- 19 to 76 Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FCI Mendota (onsite March 26 to 28, 2024) ↗
- Wake-up
- A general wake-up for everyone is 6:00 a.m. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Visiting room shoes
- Inmates wear institution-issued black boots or medical shoes to visits. No personal shoes. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
How far is it from you?
Driving directions (Google Maps) → Bus or train (Google Maps) →
Plan your drive around this: Visitors are not processed before 8:00 a.m. or after 2:00 p.m. Visits end at 3:00 p.m. If the room is full, visits can be cut to two hours.
Our miles and time are an estimate from your ZIP code's center. Google Maps gives the exact route. Your ZIP code never leaves your phone unless you tap a Google Maps button.
Visiting hours and days
| Who | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| FCI and satellite camp (general population) | Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays | 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| Special Housing Unit (SHU) | Saturday and Sunday (visiting rules); Friday (handbook). Non-contact rooms only. | 8:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. |
Visitors are not processed before 8:00 a.m. or after 2:00 p.m. Visits end at 3:00 p.m. If the room is full, visits can be cut to two hours.
No regular visiting Monday through Friday unless a federal holiday falls on one of those days. The rules ask families to call the prison before visiting to check for changes. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
The BOP's own papers disagree. For the Special Housing Unit, the visiting rules (January 23, 2025) say Saturday and Sunday, 8:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The handbook (February 12, 2025) says Fridays, 8:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The handbook also says "six (4)" visitors at a time, while the visiting rules say 4. Call 559-274-4000 before you drive.
The rules at the door: ID, points, what you can bring
- How many visits
- The rules say that ordinarily there are unlimited visits during the regular visiting times. There is no points system in the rules. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- How many people
- No more than 4 approved visitors at one time, not counting an infant who stays on a lap. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- ID
- Everyone over 16 needs a valid state or government photo ID (driver's license or passport). Altered, forged or expired ID, check-cashing cards and consulate cards are not accepted. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- Parking
- Park in the lot for the prison you are visiting. Visitors may not stay in their vehicles. A driver who is not visiting has to leave the property until the visit is over. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- Screening
- Everyone goes through the metal detector, and staff stamp your hand and check it with a black light. An ION spectrometer tests for drugs. A positive test or an attempt to bring in banned items means no entry for at least 48 hours. Pins, plates or a pacemaker: bring medical papers. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- Money for vending machines
- No more than $25.00 in bills of $5.00 or less, or a debit card. Visitors may buy food for them but may never give them money. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- What you can carry
- One small clear plastic bag or change purse (no bigger than 6 inches by 6 inches), photo ID, and the money above. Medicine only if life-supporting, and only the dose for the visit. For each infant: 4 diapers, 1 pack of wipes, 1 change of clothes, 2 clear bottles (3/4 full, liquid only), 2 unopened jars of baby food, 1 receiving blanket, 1 clear cup, 1 plastic spoon, and 1 small clear tote about 12 inches by 12 inches. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- Lockers
- Coin-operated lockers in the waiting area hold coats, hats, jackets, keys, cell phones, wallets and watches. Purses, packages and toys are not allowed in. Visitors may not bring anything to give or show to the inmate. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- What to wear
- Shoes must have a heel or strap to the foot. No flip-flops, slippers, shower shoes or open-toed shoes. Dresses and skirts no shorter than knee length with no slit above the knee. No shorts (unless the child is under 12), tank, halter, midriff or strapless tops, spandex, bib overalls, hooded clothing, camouflage, sheer clothing, hats, watches, scrubs, or anything that looks like a staff uniform. No khaki, tan, orange or green clothing, and no gray sweats. No underwire bras or other undergarments with metal. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- Contact
- An embrace and a kiss when you arrive and again when you leave. Nothing more. A private area is set aside for nursing mothers. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
- Rule breaking
- If a visit is ended for breaking the rules, those visitors cannot come back for at least 48 hours. Click here to read the source: MEN 5267.09C, Visiting Regulations (January 23, 2025) ↗
How to get on the visiting list
- When they arrive, your loved one gets the Visitor Information Questionnaire (BPS-629.052) and a handout. They mail the form to you.
- Fill out the Visitor Information Form (BP-629) and the Release Authorization Form, and mail both back to their Unit Counselor with a photocopy of your government ID. Incomplete forms are rejected.
- The counselor runs a background (NCIC) check. It is their job to tell you if you are approved. Do not drive until they do.
- The list holds no more than 20 approved visitors. Immediate family (mother, father, step-parents, foster parents, brothers, sisters, spouse, children) can be added if named in the pre-sentence report.
- Someone with a prior criminal conviction is reviewed by the Unit Manager, then the Warden decides. They can be turned down if your loved one did not know them before prison.
- To change the list, they send an Inmate Request to Staff Member form or raise it at their Unit Team review.
Driving directions (from the BOP)
- From Fresno
- Highway 180 West to Panoche Road. Turn left on Panoche Road, which becomes California Avenue. Turn right into the institution.
- From Fresno Yosemite International Airport
- East on Clinton Way to North Peach Avenue. Merge onto 180 West. Turn left on Panoche Road, which becomes California Avenue. Turn right into the institution.
- Traveling south on Highway 5
- Take Exit 379, Shields Avenue, toward Mendota. Turn left onto Little Panoche Road West/Shields Avenue, right onto North Fairfax Avenue, left onto Belmont Avenue, right onto North San Diego Avenue, then left onto California Avenue. Turn left into the institution.
- Traveling north on Highway 5
- Take exit 349, Derrick Avenue/33 North. Turn right onto 33 North, then left onto California Avenue. Turn right into the institution.
Street address for your GPS: 33500 West California Avenue, Mendota, CA 93640. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
The BOP beats to its own drum. The front desk has the final say. Keep a spare outfit in the car.
FCI Mendota
Official rules (PDF) En español (PDF)
| Skirts and dresses | Dresses/skirts at least knee-length (0 inches above); no slit above knee. |
|---|---|
| Shorts | No shorts unless on a child under 12. |
| Colors to avoid | No khaki or tan clothing. No green clothing. No orange clothing. No gray sweat gear. No plain T-shirts in gray, khaki, green, orange, white, red or yellow. |
| Leggings, spandex | No spandex style clothing. |
| Bras and metal | No undergarments containing metal (underwire bras). |
| Camouflage, military | No camouflage clothing. |
| Shoes | No open-toed shoes; shoes need a heel or strap. No slipper-type shoes, shower shoes or flip-flops. |
| Children | Children under 12 may wear shorts. |
All 28 rules, in the BOP's own words
Length and fit
- Dresses/skirts at least knee-length (0 inches above); no slit above knee.
and may not have a slit above the knee.
- No shorts unless on a child under 12.
Shorts(unless on a child under the age of 12)
- No tank tops.
4. Tank tops
- No midriff tops.
6. Midriff tops
- No halter tops, strapless tops or strapless dresses.
7. Strapless tops
- No sheer or see-through clothing.
3. Sheer clothing
- No spandex style clothing.
9. Spandex style
- No gray sweat gear.
Sweat gear in gray color
Colors and uniforms
- No khaki or tan clothing.
14. Khaki or tan color (any clothing)
- No green clothing.
16. Green color (any clothing)
- No orange clothing.
15. Orange color (any clothing)
- No gray sweat gear.
13. Sweat gear in gray color
- No plain T-shirts in gray, khaki, green, orange, white, red or yellow.
Plain T-shirts in gray, khaki, green, orange, white, red and yellow colors
- No camouflage clothing.
12. Camouflage clothing
Bras, underwear and metal
- Undergarments are required for admission.
HOWEVER, UNDERGARMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION.
- No undergarments containing metal (underwire bras).
wearing undergarments containing metal (i.e. underwire bra).
Shoes
- No open-toed shoes; shoes need a heel or strap.
4. Open-toed shoes
- No slipper-type shoes, shower shoes or flip-flops.
Slipper type shoes
Hats, hoods and coats
- No hats; only religious headwear.
Only religious head wear may be worn.
- Religious headwear allowed after search.
Visitors will be allowed to wear religious headwear only after it has been searched.
- No hooded clothing.
11. Hooded clothing
Children
- Children under 12 may wear shorts.
Shorts(unless on a child under the age of 12)
Everything else
- No sexually suggestive/offensive writing or gang writing/logos.
wearing any clothing that contains sexually suggestive/offensive writing, or writing/logos that reference gangs.
- No items revealing buttocks or crotch area.
Items revealing any part of the buttocks or crotch area
- No bib overalls.
10. Bib overalls
- No medical scrubs or clothing resembling staff uniforms.
19. Clothing resembling staff uniforms
- No watches.
20. Hats 21. Watches
If they say no
- Provocatively or inappropriately dressed visitors denied visiting.
Any visitor who arrives provocatively or inappropriately dressed will be denied the privilege of visiting.
Inmate mailing address
JOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES Reg. No. 12345-678 FCI Mendota P.O. Box 9 Mendota, CA 93640
The handbook says to address mail: Federal Correctional Institution, inmate's committed name, register number and unit, P.O. Box 9, Mendota, California 93640. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
The camp uses the same P.O. Box.
Use the P.O. Box only. Never mail to the street address (33500 West California Avenue, Mendota, CA 93640).
- Mail days
- Incoming mail is handed out Monday through Friday right after the 4:00 p.m. count. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Opened and checked
- Incoming mail is opened and checked for contraband unless it is properly marked legal mail. At intake they sign a form on how they want incoming mail handled. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Legal mail
- Must be marked "Legal Mail - Open only in the presence of the inmate." It is opened in front of them and they sign a log. Certified mail that does not qualify is opened in the mail room first. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Money
- The mail room does not accept money. Send it to the National Lock Box: Federal Bureau of Prisons, inmate name and register number, P.O. Box 474701, Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- After release
- Mail that arrives after the release date is forwarded for 30 days to the release address. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- What they send out
- Outgoing mail (except legal mail) must not be sealed and needs a TRULINCS-made label with the name and address of the person they write to. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
Books and magazines: at a medium security prison, books and magazines must come straight from a publisher, book club or bookstore (Amazon, for example), never from home.
How to send money to an inmate here
Money never goes to Mendota. It goes to the BOP, and the BOP puts it on their account. There are 3 ways. Each one below shows you the actual form and exactly what to write in each box, already filled in with their name and number.
First, they must sign the power-of-attorney form (BP-A0407) when they arrive. Until they do, MoneyGram and Western Union money cannot post. Click here to read the source: Program Statement 4500.13, Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual (May 7, 2026) ↗
1. Postal money order Our pick
"Postal" means the U.S. Post Office. A postal money order is one you buy at the counter of a U.S. Post Office, from the United States Postal Service. Money orders sold at Walmart, a grocery store, a bank, Western Union, MoneyGram or a check-cashing store are not postal money orders.
Why it matters: a postal money order has no hold. Once the BOP's lockbox in Des Moines gets it, it goes on their account. Every other money order and every personal or company check is put on a 15-day hold first, and the 15 days only start when the lockbox receives the envelope. Add the days it spends in the mail, and it can be close to three weeks before they can spend it.Click here to read the source: BOP, Sending money by U.S. mail ↗ Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗ Foreign money orders and checks are held 45 days. The postal money order is also the cheapest way.
The Post Office's own steps
- Decide the amount. Up to $1,000 in one money order.
- Go to any Post Office.
- Bring cash or a debit card. The Post Office does not take credit cards for money orders.
- Fill it out at the counter with the clerk. Use the boxes below.
- Pay the amount plus the fee: $2.65 for up to $500, $3.75 for $500.01 to $1,000.
- Keep your receipt. You need it to track the money order or replace it if it is lost.Click here to read the source: U.S. Postal Service, Money Orders ↗
- Pay toJOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONEStheir committed name, exactly as the BOP Inmate Locator shows it
- Address (under Pay to)Federal Bureau of Prisons, P.O. Box 474701, Des Moines, IA 50947-0001
- FromMARIA SMITH-JONESyour name
- Address (under From)123 Main Street, Trenton, NJ 08608your address
- MemoReg. No. 12345678their 8-digit register number, no dash
Unconfirmed: the BOP does not say in writing what goes on the "Pay to" line. Their name is what families use. The name and number on the envelope are what the BOP requires.
123 Main Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Federal Bureau of Prisons JOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES 12345678 Post Office Box 474701 Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001
Lost it? Tracking and replacing a money order
- Keep the receipt. You need the serial number, post office number and amount to track it at tools.usps.com/money-orders.htm.
- Lost or stolen: take the receipt to any post office and ask for a Money Order Inquiry. It costs $23 and can take up to 60 days.
2. MoneyGram
Posts in about 2 to 4 hours if sent 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, any day. Up to $300 per payment. In a store, you fill out the blue ExpressPayment form. This is the BOP's own filled-in sample:
- Company NameFederal Bureau of Prisons
- City & StateWashington, DC
- Receive Code7932always the same
- Account Number of the Bill to Pay12345678SMITHJONESone letter or number per box
- Amount to Payup to $300
- Message to Biller or Beneficiary NameJOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES
Top section: your own name, address, phone and signature. Pay cash. Keep the receipt with the reference number.
Unconfirmed: some stores now type it into a screen instead of using the paper form. The boxes are the same.
Doing it online or in the MoneyGram app instead
- Go to moneygram.com (Pay Bills) or the MoneyGram app and log in or sign up.
- Search the biller 7932 or "Federal Bureau of Prisons."
- Enter the amount (up to $300) and the account number
12345678SMITHJONES. - Pay with a debit or credit card. A credit card can charge a cash-advance fee.
3. Western Union
Posts in about 2 to 4 hours. In a store, ask for the Quick Collect form ("To Send Money Form for Bill Payments"). Do not ask for a regular money transfer. This is a real Quick Collect form filled in with the BOP's values:
- Dollar Amountyour amount
- Pay toFederal Bureau of Prisons
- Code CityFBOP, DC
- AttentionJOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES
- Account # with Company (in the SENDER section: this is where people get lost)12345678SMITHJONES
Leave Promo Code blank. Put your own name, phone and address in the rest of the Sender section and sign at 3. Pay cash (some stores take debit). You get a 10-digit tracking number (MTCN). Keep it.
Unconfirmed: some stores have the blue Quick Collect form, some a "Pay a Bill" section, and some a phone to an agent.
Doing it online (Send2Corrections), screen by screen
You need a photo ID to set up the account: your name must match your ID exactly.
- Go to send2corrections.com or the Send2Corrections app. Log in or register.
- "Who are you sending to?" Choose the facility Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP DC).
- Receiver first name, middle name (optional), last name: exactly as the BOP has it.
- Commissary number: type only the 8 digits,
12345678. No dash, no name. The site adds the last name itself and shows the full account number in a grey box you cannot type in. - Ignore the pop-up that says "BOP number will not work." That text shows for every prison. The register number is what works.
- Amount: $1 to $300. Pay by card, or choose "Pay Cash (in-store)" and pay at a Western Union counter within 12 hours, or it cancels.
Hyphenated last name? The site drops the hyphen: Smith-Jones becomes 12345678SMITHJONES.
Money sent to the wrong person is not returned by Western Union. Western Union payments cannot be changed after they are sent.
Commissary: what they can spend
Mendota's handbook (February 12, 2025) says the spending limit is $360.00 a month, with a limit of $180.00 every two weeks. Accounts are revalidated on the 1st and 15th of each month. National BOP policy (PS 4500.13, May 7, 2026) is $460 a month, plus $50 more in November and December. Mendota's papers may not reflect that yet. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗ Click here to read the source: Program Statement 4500.13, Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual (May 7, 2026) ↗
How shopping works at Mendota
- Commissary and validation schedules are posted on the inmate bulletin boards.
- They are paid out after they show their ID card or give a fingerprint. They must always carry their ID card.
- They cannot have cash. Money in the account can buy commissary items, phone time and TRU-Units, or can be sent out with a BP-199.
- All sales are final. No add-ons. (Commissary list.)
The price list: Mendota's official list is a scan or an older layout we could not turn into a reliable searchable list, so we don't retype prices we can't be sure of. Click here to read the source: FCI Mendota Commissary Shopping List ($360 spending limit) ↗
Phone calls and email
- Phone credit
- They can move money from their account to their phone account. They check their balance with 118 and their PAC (phone access code). Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Email (TRULINCS)
- They may send one electronic Request to Staff a day. The longest session is 30 minutes. Printing costs 15 cents a page. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Minutes and hours
- The handbook does not list the monthly minutes, the call length or the phone hours. Ask your loved one or call the prison. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
They have to add your number and email to their list first. Emails come through CorrLinks: you get an invitation by email once they add you.
Health care at Mendota
Medical care level 1 and mental health care level 1 (of 4). Generally healthy people under 70 who need to see a clinician only every 6 to 12 months. Examples the BOP gives: mild asthma, diet-controlled diabetes, well-controlled high blood pressure. Click here to read the source: BOP "Institution Care Levels for Medical Assignment," February 13, 2024 (released under FOIA 2024-03455) ↗
- Sick call
- Offered four days a week, normally Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is for routine exams, testing and clearances. At the FCI they sign up in Health Services, usually starting 7:00 to 7:30 a.m. At the camp they put a triage slip in the mailbox in Health Services. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Medicine
- Medicine that cannot be self-carried is handed out about 6:45 to 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Dental
- At sick call, only emergency dental care is given. Emergency dental care is available 24 hours a day. A cleaning is non-emergency, requested with a cop-out, and happens no more than once a year for healthy patients. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Co-pay
- A fee of $2.00 for health care they ask for, charged to their commissary account. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Emergency
- Emergency dental care is open to everyone around the clock. For any emergency they tell the nearest staff member. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
Programs
- RDAP (drug program; can mean early release for those eligible)
- The handbook says RDAP is a unit set apart from the general population and lasts at least 9 months. To get on the waiting list they send an Inmate Request to Staff form or an email to the MEN-InmateToDAP mailbox. People are admitted by how near they are to release. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Other drug programs
- The Drug Abuse Education Course and non-residential drug abuse treatment. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Education
- GED program (Pre-GED and GED) with a California diploma, English as a Second Language, parenting and career classes, and correspondence college courses at their own cost. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Vocational training
- Warehousing, building trades, automotive and culinary arts. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
- Reentry
- Reentry preparation is meant to begin on the first day. People who finish RDAP continue treatment in a halfway house. Click here to read the source: FCI/SPC Mendota Admissions and Orientation Handbook (February 12, 2025) ↗
The handbook describes RDAP at Mendota, but the BOP's First Step Act RDAP location list (updated June 4, 2026) does not list Mendota. Confirm with the prison. Click here to read the source: First Step Act Approved Programs Guide (May 2026) ↗
Safety record
Criminal cases at Mendota
- January 15, 2026A Mendota prison officer was arrested after alleged sex crimes against a minor, officials said. (YourCentralValley.com)
- March 23, 2026An inmate was reported missing from the satellite camp next to the prison. The BOP press release says the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI were notified. (YourCentralValley.com)
Deaths announced by the BOP
- September 25, 2021A 56-year-old man from the satellite camp tested positive for COVID-19 and died in a hospital. Click here to read the source: BOP press releases about FCI Mendota (2021, 2022 and 2026) ↗
- January 19, 2022A 35-year-old man was taken to a hospital, tested positive for COVID-19, and died there. Click here to read the source: BOP press releases about FCI Mendota (2021, 2022 and 2026) ↗
These are deaths the BOP announced in a press release. The BOP does not publish a full count of deaths at each prison, so this is not a total.
Sexual abuse audit (PREA)
The last federal sexual-abuse (PREA) audit visited Mendota March 26 to 28, 2024. Result: 6 standards exceeded, 35 met, 0 not met. In the 12 months before the audit, Mendota recorded 4 sexual-abuse allegations (3 against staff, 1 against another inmate) and 3 sexual-harassment allegations (2 against staff, 1 against another inmate). Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FCI Mendota (onsite March 26 to 28, 2024) ↗
An allegation is a report, not a finding. The audit counts reports made, not what investigators concluded.
News about Mendota
- Mendota prison officer arrested after alleged sex crimes with minor as she walked to schoolYourCentralValley.com · Jan 15, 2026
- Mendota prison officer accused of sexual assault of minor, officials confirmYourCentralValley.com · Jan 14, 2026
- FCI Mendota employees working without pay amid government shutdownABC30 Fresno · Oct 2, 2025
Stories from news outlets that name FCI Mendota, checked every day. Last updated Nov 4, 2026, 10:30 am ET. We link to the original story; we did not write these.
Intel from the Inside
Intel last checked: November 3, 2026
Reports from people inside, in their own words. It is how the place really runs, not official policy, and it can change. We never publish names.
No Intel reported for Mendota yet.
Know something about Mendota that families should know? Tell Scooter. Our team checks every report before it goes up, and we never publish names.