FMC Carswell

Carswell at a glance

Carswell is the BOP's federal medical center for women, at a naval air station in Fort Worth, Texas. It is an administrative-security prison. It has the main medical center, a satellite prison camp (SPC) and an Administrative Unit. The handbook says Carswell and its contract hospital are accredited by the Joint Commission (JCAHO).

How many people

1,004 in the FMC and 251 at the camp (BOP, October 29, 2026).

Medical care level 3, 4

The BOP list gives the medical center two levels, 3 and 4 (the camp is level 2). Level 3 is people with complex, usually long-term, conditions who need frequent clinician visits, for example cancer in partial remission or advanced HIV disease. Level 4 is people who need services found only at a BOP Medical Referral Center, such as cancer on active treatment or dialysis. 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 3, 4

The BOP list gives Carswell levels 3 and 4. Level 3 is weekly mental health care (enhanced outpatient care) or a residential psychology treatment program. Level 4 care happens only at a Medical Referral Center, with a treatment plan reviewed at least every 90 days. 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) ↗

Who is there

Women. On the first day of the 2025 audit, ages ran from 20 to 87. Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FMC Carswell (onsite July 29 to 31, 2025) ↗

Built for

1302 people. On the first day of the audit it held 1266, and the daily average over the past 12 months was 1133. Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FMC Carswell (onsite July 29 to 31, 2025) ↗

Average stay

464.9 days at the FMC and 763.7 days at the camp. Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FMC Carswell (onsite July 29 to 31, 2025) ↗

Counts

Official stand-up counts at 4:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. every day, and at 10:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Tobacco

"Smoking is NOT permitted at FMC Carswell." Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

The BOP's own page for FMC Carswell.

Visiting hours and days

No visitor may be on the grounds before 8:00 a.m. Processing stops at 2:00 p.m. and visitors must leave the visiting room at 3:00 p.m. On Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays no one is processed in the 30 minutes before the 10:00 a.m. count. The front entrance starts again once the count clears.

The rules give no regular visiting days except Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays. Lawyers can visit Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Click here to read the source: CRW 5267.09g, Visitation Regulations (February 13, 2026) ↗

The BOP beats to its own drum. The front desk has the final say. Keep a spare outfit in the car.

Inmate mailing address

JOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES
Reg. No. 12345-678
FMC Carswell
P.O. Box 914002
River Oaks, TX 76114

The handbook says every letter must carry their committed name, register number and housing unit, with the prison name and the P.O. Box. Ask your loved one for their housing unit. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Use the P.O. Box only. Never mail to the street address (Naval Air Station, 1200 Meandering Road, Fort Worth, TX 76114).

Opened and searched

Regular mail is opened and searched. Stamps and envelope flaps may be removed first. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Sent back

Body hair, plant shavings, sexually explicit photographs, greeting cards, stamps, stationery, planners, card stock, journals, lottery tickets, stickers, glitter, lipstick and anything stained with oil are returned to the sender. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Mail days

First-class mail is handed out Monday through Friday (not holidays) after the 4:00 p.m. count clears and again at 9:30 p.m. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Books and papers

Hard-cover books must come straight from the publisher, a book club or a bookstore. Magazines come from the publisher. Newspapers come from the publisher on pulp-like paper. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Packages

A package must have an authorization form on file in the mail room before it arrives, and a copy inside. No form on file, and it is returned unopened. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Legal mail

Opened only in front of them. It must say "Special Mail - Open only in the presence of the inmate." Staff may photocopy the envelope only. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Their letters to you

Outgoing mail is left unsealed and is inspected, except legal mail. The return address must have their full name, register number, unit and the prison name, or the letter may be opened to find the sender. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Money

Never put money in a letter. Checks and money orders mailed to the prison are sent back. Money goes to the BOP lockbox in Des Moines, Iowa (see the Money tab). Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Books and magazines: at a administrative 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 Carswell. 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: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗ Foreign money orders and checks are held 45 days. The postal money order is also the cheapest way.

The Post Office's own steps

1. Decide the amount. Up to $1,000 in one money order.
2. Go to any Post Office.
3. Bring cash or a debit card. The Post Office does not take credit cards for money orders.
4. Fill it out at the counter with the clerk. Use the boxes below.
5. Pay the amount plus the fee: $2.65 for up to $500, $3.75 for $500.01 to $1,000.
6. 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 ↗

1. Pay toJOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONEStheir committed name, exactly as the BOP Inmate Locator shows it
2. Address (under Pay to)Federal Bureau of Prisons, P.O. Box 474701, Des Moines, IA 50947-0001
3. FromMARIA SMITH-JONESyour name
4. Address (under From)123 Main Street, Trenton, NJ 08608your address
5. 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.

Maria Smith-Jones
123 Main Street
Trenton, NJ 08608

STAMP

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:

1. Company NameFederal Bureau of Prisons
2. City & StateWashington, DC
3. Receive Code7932always the same
4. Account Number of the Bill to Pay12345678SMITHJONESone letter or number per box
5. Amount to Payup to $300
6. 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

1. Go to moneygram.com (Pay Bills) or the MoneyGram app and log in or sign up.
2. Search the biller 7932 or "Federal Bureau of Prisons."
3. Enter the amount (up to $300) and the account number 12345678SMITHJONES.
4. 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:

1. Dollar Amountyour amount
2. Pay toFederal Bureau of Prisons
3. Code CityFBOP, DC
4. AttentionJOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES
5. 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.

1. Go to send2corrections.com or the Send2Corrections app. Log in or register.
2. "Who are you sending to?" Choose the facility Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP DC).
3. Receiver first name, middle name (optional), last name: exactly as the BOP has it.
4. 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.
5. Ignore the pop-up that says "BOP number will not work." That text shows for every prison. The register number is what works.
6. 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

Carswell's handbook (April 1, 2023) says they validate on the 1st and 15th with a $180.00 spending limit each time, $360 a month. National BOP policy (PS 4500.13, May 7, 2026) raised the monthly limit from $360 to $460, plus $50 more in November and December. Carswell's handbook may not reflect the new limit yet. People who refuse the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program may spend only $25.00 a month. We did not find a Carswell commissary price list on the BOP site. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗ Click here to read the source: Program Statement 4500.13, Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual (May 7, 2026) ↗

The price list: Carswell'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. Ask your loved one for the current list, or see the prison's page on bop.gov.

Phone calls and email

Minutes

300 minutes a month. Each call is cut off after 15 minutes, and the prison may make them wait 30 minutes between calls. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Contacts

Up to 30 approved numbers. No three-way calls, call forwarding or other third-party calls. Every call can be monitored and recorded. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Hours

Phones are in the housing units. They may not use the phone during their work hours. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Paying

Phone money moves from their commissary account to their phone account, in even dollar amounts. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Email and video

Text-only messages on TRULINCS, up to 13,000 characters, charged by the minute. A video call session is $6.00 for 25 minutes. A no-show costs $3.00. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

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 Carswell

Medical care level 3, 4 and mental health care level 3, 4 (of 4). The BOP list gives the medical center two levels, 3 and 4 (the camp is level 2). Level 3 is people with complex, usually long-term, conditions who need frequent clinician visits, for example cancer in partial remission or advanced HIV disease. Level 4 is people who need services found only at a BOP Medical Referral Center, such as cancer on active treatment or dialysis. Click here to read the source: BOP "Institution Care Levels for Medical Assignment," February 13, 2024 (released under FOIA 2024-03455) ↗

Sick call

The compound opens at 6:00 a.m. for the morning meal, sick call and the pill line. Staff screen the complaint and set an appointment on the call-out sheet. If it is for the same day, they get a slip to show their work supervisor. The handbook does not give sign-up days. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

If they get sick later

They tell their work supervisor or unit officer, who calls Health Services. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Emergencies

Emergency care is available 24 hours a day. Clinicians cover evenings, weekends and holidays for urgent problems and for the pill line. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Dental

Business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. After hours, staff can call a mid-level provider or nurse. Routine dental appointments follow the order requests were made, unless it is more urgent. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Pill line

Controlled medications are given at set times at the Health Services pill line. In segregation, clinical staff bring them. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Co-pay

They pay a fee for care they ask for, unless staff decide they are indigent. The handbook does not give the amount. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

If they are in the hospital

Family visits at the contract community hospital are approved case by case, by the unit manager, usually only when the clinical director says so. A visit is for a set time of no more than 4 hours in a row. A social worker coordinates it. Hospital staff and Carswell staff may not give you medical details; the doctor or the social worker does. Click here to read the source: CRW 5267.09g, Visitation Regulations (February 13, 2026) ↗

Write a sick call request →

Programs

RDAP (drug program; can mean up to a year off for those eligible)

Carswell has two residential drug programs: a Dual Diagnosis RDAP (for a substance abuse diagnosis plus a major mental illness or a serious medical condition) and a Spanish RDAP. It is 500 hours. They need at least 24 months left, a verifiable substance abuse problem in the year before the arrest, and to be able to do aftercare. Non-violent offenders may get up to 12 months off. They send a cop-out (request) to the Drug Abuse Program Coordinator. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Other drug treatment

A non-residential program of 90 to 120 minutes a week for 12 to 24 weeks, for people waiting for RDAP or not eligible for it. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Other programs on the BOP list

The First Step Act guide (May 2026) lists Carswell (CRW) as a site that may offer the Female Integrated Treatment program, the Life Connections Program (residential), LifeSkills Laboratories, the Resolve program (trauma), the non-residential sex offender treatment program (women only) and CBT for Late-Life Depression. "May be offered" means the site is eligible, not that the program is running. Click here to read the source: First Step Act Approved Programs Guide (May 2026) ↗

Education

A GED program is required for anyone without a diploma or GED. English as a second language classes. A business certificate through Tarrant County College (ten classes). Correspondence courses they pay for. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Job training

A Culinary Arts certification (800 hours, about 9 months, in the hospital), Monday through Friday 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Apprenticeships include carpentry, dental technician, auto mechanic and plumbing. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Parenting

A parenting program with classes and Children's Center activities. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Work pay

Pay is generally $.12 to $.40 an hour. Someone who refuses the Financial Responsibility Program gets maintenance pay of $5.25 a month. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

Release preparation

The 3-day Release Orientation Program is offered once a quarter. They ask their case manager. Click here to read the source: FMC Carswell Admission and Orientation Handbook (updated April 1, 2023) ↗

The BOP's First Step Act guide lists Carswell for RDAP and for the Female Integrated Treatment (FIT) program (RDAP list updated June 4, 2026). Click here to read the source: First Step Act Approved Programs Guide (May 2026) ↗

Safety record

Criminal cases at Carswell

• August 22, 2025A former FMC Carswell employee was convicted of sexually abusing an incarcerated woman. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Deaths announced by the BOP

• April 28, 2020A 30-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," April 28, 2020 ↗
• July 15, 2020A 69-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," July 17, 2020 ↗
• July 20, 2020A 51-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," July 20, 2020 ↗
• August 3, 2020A 44-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," August 3, 2020 ↗
• August 15, 2020A 56-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 (while in the hospital for liver disease) was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," August 17, 2020 ↗
• August 25, 2020A 56-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 and later been cleared as recovered was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," August 26, 2020 ↗
• June 14, 2021A 54-year-old woman who had been cleared as recovered from COVID-19 before arriving at Carswell was found having trouble breathing and became unresponsive. Emergency medical staff pronounced them dead. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," June 17, 2021 ↗
• September 30, 2021A 50-year-old woman who had tested positive for COVID-19 was pronounced dead by hospital staff. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Carswell," October 1, 2021 ↗

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. We found no BOP press release announcing a death at Carswell after October 2021 (checked November 3, 2026).

Sexual abuse audit (PREA)

The last federal sexual-abuse (PREA) audit visited Carswell July 29 to 31, 2025. Result: 0 standards exceeded, 45 met, 0 not met. In the 12 months before the audit, Carswell recorded 22 sexual-abuse allegations (4 against staff, 18 against other inmates) and 24 sexual-harassment allegations (15 against staff, 9 against other inmates). The report lists 0 criminal investigations for abuse and 22 administrative ones. Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FMC Carswell (onsite July 29 to 31, 2025) ↗

An allegation is a report, not a finding. The audit counts reports made, not what investigators concluded.

News about Carswell

• Canine Companions: Aikman's training at FMC Carswell in Fort WorthCBS News · May 13, 2026
• Prison or Predator’s Playground? “FMC Carswell’s Dirty Secret”saobserver.com · Aug 26, 2025
• Ex-FMC Carswell prison employee convicted of sexually abusing incarcerated womanFort Worth Star-Telegram · Aug 22, 2025

Stories from news outlets that name FMC Carswell, checked every day. Last updated Nov 4, 2026, 8:20 pm 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 Carswell yet.

Know something about Carswell that families should know? Tell Scooter. Our team checks every report before it goes up, and we never publish names.