Federal Medical Center · Rochester, Minnesota
FMC Rochester
- Security level
- Administrative
- Medical care level
- 3, 4 of 4
- Mental health care level
- 4 of 4
- Population
- 824
- Phone
- 507-287-0674
Last checked: November 3, 2026 (BOP documents for this prison) Intel last checked: November 3, 2026 BOP status updated: Nov 3, 2026, 9:20 pm ET News updated: Nov 3, 2026, 1:55 pm ET
Your loved one here? Look up their exact committed name
Rochester at a glance
FMC Rochester is a Federal Medical Center for men in Rochester, Minnesota, about 85 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The handbook says it is one of seven Medical Referral Centers in the BOP. People come here for medical or mental health treatment, or as "Work Cadre" inmates who do the many jobs in a health care setting. The BOP lists it as an administrative security facility, with no camp. Visits are always inside the secure fence.
- How many people
- 824 in the FMC (BOP, October 29, 2026).
- Medical care level 3, 4
- The BOP list gives Rochester two levels, 3 and 4. 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 4
- The BOP list gives Rochester "Admin" security and mental health level 4. Care happens only at a Medical Referral Center, with a written treatment plan reviewed at least every 90 days and treatment or contact at least once a week. 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
- The handbook says inmates are sent here directly from the U.S. courts and from other BOP prisons around the country, often with complex mental and physical illnesses. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Last audit snapshot
- The 2023 audit gave the capacity as 830 and the average population over the past 12 months as 576. Ages ran from 19 to 97. Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FMC Rochester (onsite December 5 to 7, 2023) ↗
- Counts
- Stand-up counts at 4:15 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. every day, and at 10:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays. This is from the 2021 handbook. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Housing named in the papers
- Building 9 is the institution hospital. Building 10 is the Ambulatory Care housing. There is also the "Martin Wing" and special housing. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
How far is it from you?
Driving directions (Google Maps) → Bus or train (Google Maps) →
Plan your drive around this: Visitors are normally not let in after 2:00 p.m. On weekends and holidays visitors are normally not let in between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. until the official count has cleared. Visits do not start after 2:00 p.m. unless the inmate is already in the visiting room.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| General population | Saturday, Sunday, Monday and federal holidays | 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Special housing and others not in regular population | Mondays only. Non-contact visits use video. | Same hours |
Visitors are normally not let in after 2:00 p.m. On weekends and holidays visitors are normally not let in between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. until the official count has cleared. Visits do not start after 2:00 p.m. unless the inmate is already in the visiting room.
No social visits Tuesday through Friday, except on a federal holiday. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
The rules at the door: ID, points, what you can bring
- How many visits
- They get 16 visiting points a month. A weekday (Monday) visit costs 1 point. A weekend or federal holiday visit costs 2 points. Attorney and pastoral visits are free. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- How many people
- Immediate family (mother, father, spouse, children, step-parents, foster parents, siblings) is not limited, except when the room is crowded: then no more than 5 immediate family members. The visiting room holds 125 people inside and outside. Visiting with a group of people who are not immediate family needs the Warden's written approval. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- Children
- Children under 16 must come with a responsible adult and are always under that adult's direct supervision. There is a children's play area in the southeast corner. Inmates may not go in it. No food or drink in the play area. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- ID
- Everyone 16 or older needs a valid photo ID: driver's license, passport, or a state or other government photo ID. Consular ID cards are not accepted. Visitors 16 and older also sign the Notification to Visitors form before the visit starts. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- Screening
- Everyone must clear the metal detector before entering. Visitors with metal implants should have papers (a Medical Implant Alert ID card is best) or may get a pat search. Visitors 18 and older can be pat-searched at random. An ion scanner tests visitors at random for drugs. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- Money for vending machines
- A clear plastic 5 by 7 inch coin purse is allowed with $20.00 per adult visitor in coins and bills of $5.00 or less. Food and drink may be bought in the visiting room. Inmates may not go near the vending machines. Food and drinks are not shared. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- What you can carry
- The clear coin purse. A visitor with a small infant may keep a small diaper bag with one small receiving blanket, two jars of unopened baby food, two bottles of infant milk or formula, one small plastic container of baby wipes and three diapers. Visitors who need medicine during the visit seal enough for the visit in an envelope; staff supervise it. Lockers are in the entrance building. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- Not allowed in
- Toys, cards, billfolds, wallets, purses, paperwork, keys (except the locker key), food, gum, mints, candy, drinks, baby carriers, car seats, cradles, lipstick, ChapStick, hairbrushes, combs, lotion, newspapers, magazines, writing instruments, tobacco, matches, lighters, cell phones, pagers and watches. No cameras or recording gear. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- What not to wear
- No tight, transparent or spandex clothing. No tank tops, halter tops or sleeveless shirts. No holes in clothing. No wrap-around skirts. No hats or caps. No camouflage. No grey sweatpants, sweatshirts or thermals. No green, khaki or orange pants, shirts or skirts. No plunging necklines. No open-toed or open-heeled shoes. Shorts and skirts no higher than the top of the knee. No shirts that hang less than 3 inches below the belt line. No hooded sweatshirts or clothing with hoods. No scarves or gloves. Jackets, coats and sweaters are allowed only October 1 through June 1, and are stored, not worn, in the visiting room. Young children may wear outerwear year-round. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- Touching
- A brief embrace and kiss when arriving and when leaving only. Staff may end a visit for anything more. The inmate sits directly across from the adult visitors. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- What they wear
- Institution-issued khakis with a shirt over any T-shirt. Standard shoes (sneakers with an idle slip). They may wear a plain wedding band and a religious medal on a necklace, and take in a comb, a handkerchief and photo tickets. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- When it gets crowded
- Staff first look at how often someone visits and how far they traveled, and end those visits first. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
- Hospital patients
- Walking patients visit in the main visiting room. Someone who cannot walk is taken in a wheelchair to the Building 10 visiting room. Bedside visits in the Building Nine hospital are arranged by the unit team, usually for two hours and on two days in a row. Children under 16 are allowed only in terminal or special cases with the Warden's approval. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 2023) ↗
How to get on the visiting list
- They send the visitor form, BPS629 as the rules print it (Visitor Information Form), to each family member, friend and associate they want on the list. The visitor sends it directly back to unit staff.
- Immediate family is ordinarily approved right away if the pre-sentence report backs up the relationship. Everyone else must have known them before prison, and mails proof (co-signed leases, utility bills, dated and signed letters). Visitors who are not immediate family get a background check (NCIC) before any visit.
- The Unit Manager approves or denies each visitor. The Warden must approve any exception to the prior-relationship rule.
- The list holds a maximum of 20 people. Changes are case by case with the unit staff, and staff may limit changes to three in six months.
- Staff tell them yes or no, and they tell you. Do not drive until you are approved.
- Pretrial and holdover inmates get the same visiting as sentenced inmates. If they transfer here from another BOP prison, the approved visitors and list will ordinarily be approved.
- A visitor with a criminal record needs the Unit Manager's approval. A visitor on probation or parole ordinarily needs written permission from the supervising officer first.
Driving directions (from the BOP)
- From the Twin Cities
- Rochester is about 85 miles south of the Twin Cities on Minnesota Highway 52. The medical center is about 2 miles east of downtown Rochester. Take 4th Street SE, pass Olmsted Community Hospital, and the medical center is slightly to your left. Turn left on Center Street and right into the lot marked "Visitor Parking." Handicap parking is in the lot nearest the front entrance. Persons waiting for visitors may not stay in the parking lot.
- The address
- 2110 East Center Street, Rochester, Minnesota 55903 (the BOP feed gives 55904). Phone 507-287-0674.
- Transportation (from the rules)
- Med City Taxi 507-282-8294, Land to Air Express 507-625-3977, Rochester Shuttle Service 888-998-9098, Groome Transportation 507-280-9270, Jefferson Bus Lines 858-800-8898, Greyhound 800-231-2222, Rochester City Lines 507-288-4353. Airlines: Delta 800-221-1212, Sun Country 651-905-2737, American 800-433-7300.
Street address for your GPS: 2110 East Center Street, Rochester, Mn 55904. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
The BOP beats to its own drum. The front desk has the final say. Keep a spare outfit in the car.
FMC Rochester
Official rules (PDF) En español (PDF)
3 years old. Ask your loved one to check the copy posted in the unit before you drive.
| Skirts and dresses | Shorts and skirts not above top of knee standing (0 inches). |
|---|---|
| Shorts | Shorts must reach the top of the knee when standing. |
| Colors to avoid | No khaki pants, shirts, or skirts. No green pants, shirts, or skirts. No orange pants, shirts, or skirts. No grey sweatpants, sweatshirts, or thermals. |
| Leggings, spandex | No spandex clothing. No tight clothing. |
| Bras and metal | Not in the written rules. Some prisons ban underwire bras anyway, and the penalty can be more than being sent home. Wear a sports bra or a bra with no wire. |
| Camouflage, military | No camouflage clothing. |
| Shoes | No open-toed or open-heeled shoes; shoes required. No sandals or slip-ons. |
| Children | Younger children may wear outerwear year-round. |
All 30 rules, in the BOP's own words
Length and fit
- Shorts and skirts not above top of knee standing (0 inches).
* Shorts and skirts which are higher than the top of the knee when standing
- Shorts must reach the top of the knee when standing.
* Shorts and skirts which are higher than the top of the knee when standing
- No tank tops or sleeveless shirts.
* Halter tops/sleeveless shirts
- No plunging necklines exposing back, cleavage or chest (V-necks, scoop necks).
* Plunging necklines that expose back, cleavage or chest (i.e., V-necks, scoop necks)
- No halter tops.
* Halter tops/sleeveless shirts
- No transparent clothing.
* Transparent clothing
- No tight clothing.
* Tight clothing
- No spandex clothing.
* Spandex clothing
- No holes in clothing.
* Holes in clothing
- No grey sweatpants or sweatshirts.
* Grey sweatpants, sweatshirts, thermals
Colors and uniforms
- No khaki pants, shirts, or skirts.
* Green, khaki, or orange-colored pants, shirts, or skirts
- No green pants, shirts, or skirts.
* Green, khaki, or orange-colored pants, shirts, or skirts
- No orange pants, shirts, or skirts.
* Green, khaki, or orange-colored pants, shirts, or skirts
- No grey sweatpants, sweatshirts, or thermals.
* Grey sweatpants, sweatshirts, thermals
- No camouflage clothing.
* Camouflage clothing
Bras, underwear and metal
- All visitors must wear undergarments.
It is necessary for all visitors to wear undergarments and shoes.
- No watches in the visiting room.
Paperwork Watches Food
Shoes
- No open-toed or open-heeled shoes; shoes required.
* Opened toed or open heeled shoes, (i.e., sandals or slip-ons for both male & female).
- No sandals or slip-ons.
* Opened toed or open heeled shoes, (i.e., sandals or slip-ons for both male & female).
Hats, hoods and coats
- No hats or caps; no scarves.
* Hats or caps
- No hooded sweatshirts, coats, or clothing that conceals head/face.
* No hooded sweatshirts/coats, clothing with hoods.
- Coats/jackets/sweaters only Oct 1-June 1; stored during visit.
Jackets, coats, or sweaters will only be allowed during the months of October 1 through June 1.
- Hats/scarves with wigs for chemo/hair loss need physician documentation.
Hats and/or scarves with wigs utilized for
Children
- Younger children may wear outerwear year-round.
Younger children will be allowed appropriate outer wear year-round.
Everything else
- No wording showing gang affiliation or profanity.
* No attire with questionable wording, (i.e., gang affiliation, profanity, etc.)
- No wrap-around skirts.
* Wrap-around skirts
- No shirts hanging less than 3 inches below belt line.
* No shirts that hang less than 3 inches below the belt line.
- Apparel must cover body from shoulders to upper knee.
adequately cover the areas of their body from shoulder height to upper knee will not be allowed to visit.
If they say no
- Visitors not in proper attire will be denied a visit.
Visitors who are not in proper attire will be denied a visit.
- Questionable clothing cleared by IDO or Operations Lieutenant.
* Any questionable clothing will be cleared through the Institution Duty Officer or the Operations
Inmate mailing address
JOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES Reg. No. 12345-678 FMC Rochester P.O. Box 4000 Rochester, Mn 55903
The visiting rules and the handbook give the inmate mailing address as PMB 4000, Rochester, Minnesota 55903-4000. The BOP's facility feed writes it "P.O. Box 4000, Rochester, MN 55903." Use their full committed name and register number. If a letter is returned, ask them which line to use. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
Use the P.O. Box only. Never mail to the street address (2110 East Center Street, Rochester, Mn 55904).
- Administrative facility
- Rochester is an Administrative facility, so they are not allowed to seal outgoing general mail. It goes in the outgoing mailboxes on the units with a TRULINCS label for the address. The return address must be handwritten. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Incoming mail
- Incoming mail is opened by the mail room, then goes to the unit, generally after the 4:15 p.m. count. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Return address
- Outgoing mail and packages should carry their full committed name, register number, PMB 4000, Federal Medical Center, Rochester, MN 55903-4000. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Legal mail
- Special Mail (attorneys, courts and others) must be marked as such. The mail room has an open house from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and accepts outgoing special mail. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Money
- Never put money in a letter. Money orders and checks go to the BOP lockbox in Des Moines (see the Money tab). Cash is not accepted. Click here to read the source: RCH 5267.09c, Visiting Regulations, Institution Supplement (July 12, 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 Rochester. 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 Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗ 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
The Rochester handbook (July 2021) says the national monthly spending limit is $360. Someone in "refuse" status under the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program, or on commissary restriction, has a limit of $25. National BOP policy (PS 4500.13, May 7, 2026) is now $460 a month, plus $50 more in November and December. The handbook has not caught up, so ask what limit is in force now. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗ Click here to read the source: Program Statement 4500.13, Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual (May 7, 2026) ↗
How shopping works at Rochester
- Commissary is typically open <strong>Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday</strong>. The schedule is posted in TRULINCS Local Documents.
- Their re-validation day is the 5th digit of the register number times 3, plus 1.
- Deliveries are made to special housing, the Martin Wing and the non-ambulatory housing units.
- Prices change when vendors change theirs.
- The commissary list on the BOP site is from 2017 and is not shown here, because the prices are out of date.
The price list: Rochester'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: FMC Rochester Commissary List (PDF created September 28, 2017) ↗
Phone calls and email
- Minutes
- 300 minutes a month. Each call is limited to 15 minutes. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Hours
- Phones work from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. They use the phones in their own housing area. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Rules
- All calls are monitored. No three-way, third-party, toll-free, credit-card or conference calls. Each call needs their PAC and a voice recording (V-PIN). A new PAC costs $5. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- TRULINCS runs 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Reading or writing messages costs $.05 a minute, and printing $0.15 a side. You accept their request on corrlinks.com first. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
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 Rochester
Medical care level 3, 4 and mental health care level 4 (of 4). The BOP list gives Rochester two levels, 3 and 4. 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 (work cadre)
- Sick Call Triage is Monday to Thursday (not holidays). They sign up at the 9-1 Ambulatory Care Department between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. After 7:30 a.m. someone who is not an emergency is asked to come back the next sick call day. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Sick call (Building 10)
- Ambulatory Care inmates sign up Monday to Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. at the 10/1 nurse's station. Behavioral Health inmates sign up at the Advanced Practicing Providers office the same days and hours. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Dental
- Acute dental problems: sign up for Dental Triage at the dental clinic (Building 9, first floor) between 7:00 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. Routine care is requested with an Inmate Request to Staff Member form to the Chief Dental Officer. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- After hours
- Ambulatory Care inmates report to the nurse's station between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. for acute illness. After hours they tell the unit officer. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Pill line
- Weekday pill line times in the handbook include 10:00 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pill line moves are also announced in the evening (for example 6:50 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.). Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Co-pay
- The handbook does not give an amount. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
Programs
- RDAP (drug program; can mean up to a year off for those eligible)
- The handbook says inmates may apply and be screened for RDAP, but "the RDAP is not offered at FMC Rochester." They send a cop-out to the drug abuse program staff. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Other drug programs
- The Drug Abuse Education course and the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NRDAP). For NRDAP they send a cop-out to be put on the waiting list. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Education
- Anyone without a high school diploma takes the GED program for at least 240 instructional hours (unless exempt, such as pretrial and holdover inmates). Adult Continuing Education classes include keyboarding, resume and interview skills, computer literacy and business skills. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Vocational training
- A Landscape Management Vocational Training Program certified by Rochester Community and Technical College. They ask the Supervisor of Education to enroll. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
- Release preparation
- The handbook lists a Reentry/Release Preparation Program. Click here to read the source: FMC Rochester Admission and Orientation Handbook (July 2021) ↗
The handbook says Rochester does not offer RDAP, and the BOP's First Step Act guide (May 2026) does not list Rochester among its RDAP locations. This is a medical center, so many people are here for treatment rather than programs. Click here to read the source: First Step Act Approved Programs Guide (May 2026) ↗
Safety record
Criminal cases at Rochester
- April 2025An Iowa woman was indicted for abusive sexual contact with an inmate at the Federal Medical Center. (KTTC | Rochester, MN)
- January 2026A former nurse at the Federal Medical Center was sentenced after an inappropriate relationship with an inmate. (Post Bulletin)
- March 2025A former nurse at the Rochester federal prison was indicted over a relationship with an inmate. (KROC-AM)
Deaths announced by the BOP
- September 25, 2022A 52-year-old man was evaluated for a medical emergency the night before and then taken to a hospital, where the man tested positive for COVID-19. The man was pronounced dead there. The BOP said the death was related to COVID-19. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Rochester," January 6, 2023 ↗
- March 6, 2022A 51-year-old man who had tested positive for COVID-19 on February 8, 2022 and was converted to recovered status on February 18 was found unresponsive by medical staff and pronounced dead. The BOP said the death was related to COVID-19. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at FMC Rochester," September 21, 2022 ↗
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 newer BOP death releases for Rochester.
Sexual abuse audit (PREA)
The last federal sexual-abuse (PREA) audit visited Rochester December 5 to 7, 2023. Result: 0 standards exceeded, 41 met, 0 not met (4 were not audited at the facility level). In the 12 months before the audit, Rochester recorded 4 sexual-abuse allegations (all against other inmates) and 1 sexual-harassment allegation (against another inmate). Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, FMC Rochester (onsite December 5 to 7, 2023) ↗
An allegation is a report, not a finding. The audit counts reports made, not what investigators concluded.
News about Rochester
- HMP Rochester prison guard spared jail over inmate relationshipBBC · Jul 3, 2026
- Former Senator Ray Holmberg transferred to federal prison in Rochester, MinnesotaKFYR-TV · Jun 5, 2025
- Rochester prison nurse had affair with inmate, exchanged letters: IndictmentFOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul · Mar 28, 2025
- UPDATE: Nurse who worked at FMC Rochester sentenced to 6 months for lying to DOC about relationship with inmatekaaltv.com · Mar 28, 2025
- Jan. 6 rioter 'erroneously' released early from Rochester prison is resentencedPost Bulletin · Jan 3, 2025
Stories from news outlets that name FMC Rochester, checked every day. Last updated Nov 3, 2026, 1:55 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 Rochester yet.
Know something about Rochester that families should know? Tell Scooter. Our team checks every report before it goes up, and we never publish names.