MDC Los Angeles Federal Prison: Visiting Hours, Address and Sending Money

Los Angeles at a glance

MDC Los Angeles is a city jail-style federal prison in downtown Los Angeles, next to the Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse. It opened in 1988. It holds people awaiting trial or sentencing (pretrial), people passing through (holdover), and some people serving sentences (designated). It does not have a satellite camp.

How many people: 839 in the MDC (BOP, October 29, 2026).
Medical care level 2: Stable outpatients who need to see a clinician anywhere from monthly to every 6 months. Examples the BOP gives: diabetes controlled with medication, epilepsy, emphysema. 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 2: Routine outpatient mental health care, or short crisis care such as suicide watch. 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) ↗
Capacity: Built for 1,040. The population was 751 on the day of the audit and the average over the year before was 619. Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, MDC Los Angeles (onsite March 18 to 20, 2025) ↗
Ages: From 18 to 74. Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, MDC Los Angeles (onsite March 18 to 20, 2025) ↗
Average stay: 225.6 (the audit gives the number without a unit). Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, MDC Los Angeles (onsite March 18 to 20, 2025) ↗
Who is there: "MDC Los Angeles houses approximately 1000 inmates who are either in pretrial, holdover, or designated status." Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Tobacco: MDC Los Angeles is a non-smoking facility. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

The BOP's own page for MDC Los Angeles.

How far is it from you?

Driving directions (Google Maps) → Bus or train (Google Maps) →

Plan your drive around this: Each housing unit has only one visiting day a week, so first ask them which unit they are in. The handbook does not give a last-entry time. Call before you drive.

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
5 North	Sunday and Saturday	8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (the handbook prints the Saturday end time as "1:00 AM", which looks like a typo)
6 North and 6 South	Monday	2:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
7 South	Tuesday	2:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
9 South and 5 South	Wednesday	2:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
7 North and the Special Housing Unit (SHU)	Thursday	2:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
8 South Annex and 9 North	Friday	2:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Federal holidays	Each unit keeps its own day	8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Each housing unit has only one visiting day a week, so first ask them which unit they are in. The handbook does not give a last-entry time. Call before you drive.

Visits happen only on the day assigned to their housing unit. Inter-floor visits are on Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A regular visit on the floors lasts 1.5 hours; 5 North visits on Saturday and Sunday have no time limit.

The BOP's own papers disagree. The BOP page for this prison does not link visiting rules. The only visiting schedule is in the handbook (revised May 2022), which is old. Call 213-485-0439 before you drive.

The rules at the door: ID, points, what you can bring

How many people: No more than 3 adults at each visit. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Who can visit: People who are pretrial or holdover can have immediate family only (mother, father, sibling, spouse, children). Immediate family must prove the relationship and pass a background check approved by the Unit Manager. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
ID: Everyone except children under 16 must show ID: a valid driver's license, state ID, military ID, passport or U.S. immigration ID card. An ID card issued by the Mexican Consulate is not accepted. You hand your ID to the Visiting Room Officer and get it back when you leave. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Screening: You must pass the metal detector, and you may get an Ion Track test for drugs. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Dress code: No bathing suits, sweatshirts, sweat pants, warm-up suits, jackets (unless worn with a suit), sweaters, shorts of any kind, see-through clothes, mesh or bare-back clothes, plunging necklines, low-cut blouses, skirts or sun dresses more than one inch above the knee cap, leotards, stretch pants, crop tops, halter tops, tube tops, medical scrubs, tight clothes, midriff shirts, hats, caps or hoods, camisoles or scarves. No solid white, green or grey t-shirts, and nothing tan or khaki. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Food and drink: No food or drink in the lobby or front area. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Babies: One diaper, one pacifier, one baby blanket and one clear bottle per infant. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Touching: The only touching allowed is a closed-mouth kiss when they come in and when they leave. They may not receive anything from a visitor. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Video visits: Anyone in the SHU, and some people in general population whose behavior was disruptive, have video (non-contact) visits on their unit's day. The same dress and conduct rules apply. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Lawyers: Attorneys with a valid Bar Association card: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekends. No time limit. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Parking: Paid parking is across the street at Joe's Auto Park and at Union Station, and there are parking meters. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

How to get on the visiting list

Your loved one mails you the Visitor Information Form (BP-S102).
Fill it out and mail it directly to their correctional counselor.
Staff run a background check and build their visiting list. The handbook says this typically takes two weeks.
They tell you when you are approved. Do not drive until you are approved.
Designated (sentenced "cadre") inmates may have up to 10 visitors who are not immediate family, if proof of a relationship before prison is shown.
Special visits for family emergencies can be asked for through their unit team, case by case.

Fill out the visiting form for Los Angeles →

Driving directions (from the BOP)

By car or train: The prison is at 535 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, right off Highway 101 and across from Los Angeles Union Station. Highway 101 can be reached from Interstates 5 and 10. Union Station has Amtrak, Metrolink and bus service.

Street address for your GPS: 535 N Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

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

Inmate mailing address

Use their committed name exactly as the BOP Inmate Locator shows it. The name and number below are examples (JOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES, 12345-678).

JOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES
Reg. No. 12345-678
MDC Los Angeles
Metropolitian Detention Ctr
P.O. Box 531500
Los Angeles, CA 90053

Ask your loved one for their unit and floor. Every letter must have their name and register number or it is returned or thrown away. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

Use the P.O. Box only. Never mail to the street address (535 N Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012).

Name and number: All mail must carry their name and register number. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Read and inspected: All mail in and out can be read and inspected. They cannot seal outgoing mail, except legal mail. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Books and magazines: Only directly from the publisher. Anything with nudity or sexually explicit material is returned to the sender. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Packages: Arranged through their counselor and approved by the Unit Manager. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Legal mail: Delivered to the unit within 24 hours, opened in front of them and scanned for contraband. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Money: Never put money in a letter to the prison. The mail room sends it back. Use the BOP lockbox in Des Moines (see the Money tab). Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

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

Use their committed name exactly as the BOP Inmate Locator shows it. The name and number below are examples (JOHN ANTHONY SMITH-JONES, 12345-678).

Money never goes to Los Angeles. 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: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗ 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 ↗

A U.S. Postal Service money order, the red and blue design, with the 5 boxes you fill in marked and numbered — The Postal Service's own sample of the new red-and-blue money order, with our example filled in. The clerk prints the amount, date and serial number. Tap to enlarge. Click here to read the source: U.S. Postal Service, Money Orders (sample images) ↗

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

The older green U.S. Postal Service money order — The older green design is still in use until the Post Office runs out of it. The boxes are the same. Click here to read the source: U.S. Postal Service, Money Orders (sample images) ↗

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

The envelope. Nothing else inside: no letters, no photos.

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:

The MoneyGram blue ExpressPayment form, filled in by the BOP, with the 6 boxes you fill in marked 1 to 6 — The BOP's sample (2012). Fill in only the left "Pay a Bill" side. Tap to enlarge. Click here to read the source: the BOP's MoneyGram sample form ↗

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:

A Western Union Quick Collect payment form filled in for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, with the 5 boxes you fill in marked 1 to 5 — A 2008 version of the form, posted by a family-help site. The form in your store may look different, but the box names are the same. Tap to enlarge.

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 handbook says spending is limited to a set monthly amount and tells them to ask staff for the current limit. National BOP policy (PS 4500.13, May 7, 2026) sets $460 a month, plus $50 more in November and December. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗ Click here to read the source: Program Statement 4500.13, Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual (May 7, 2026) ↗

How shopping works at Los Angeles

They fill out a commissary sheet. Sheets are turned in once a week, and the order is delivered soon after.
The unit officer has the shopping times and a list of items and prices.
If they are at court on delivery day, commissary staff deliver the order.
Everything they buy must fit in their locker and bin.

The price list: Los Angeles'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: MDC Los Angeles Commissary List (dated July 20, 2018) ↗

Phone calls and email

Minutes: 300 minutes a month. The account resets on the first of each month, with no carry-over. Each call is limited to 15 minutes, then they wait one hour before the next call. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Hours: Unit phones work 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.. They shut off for lunch Monday to Friday (11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) and a half hour before each count. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Contacts: A list of up to 30 phone numbers, set up through TRULINCS. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Rules: No three-way calls and no credit card calls. Calls are monitored. Phone credit comes from their commissary account. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Email: TRULINCS messaging costs $.05 per minute. Printing a message costs three minutes ($.15). Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

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 Los Angeles

Medical care level 2 and mental health care level 2 (of 4). Stable outpatients who need to see a clinician anywhere from monthly to every 6 months. Examples the BOP gives: diabetes controlled with medication, epilepsy, emphysema. Click here to read the source: BOP "Institution Care Levels for Medical Assignment," February 13, 2024 (released under FOIA 2024-03455) ↗

Sick call: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They send an electronic request to the "LOS/Inmate to sick call" mailbox. Dental requests go to "LOS/Inmate to Dental." Requests are ranked and they are seen in that order. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Special Housing Unit: A provider makes sick call rounds there every day. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
After hours: Health Services is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After normal hours only a life-threatening condition counts as an emergency. They tell the unit officer. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Co-pay: A $2.00 fee for visits they ask for. They are not refused necessary care if they cannot pay. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

Write a sick call request →

Programs

Education: Testing at intake. GED, English as a Second Language, Adult Continuing Education, Parenting and Leisure and Wellness courses are offered. Pretrial inmates are not required to take classes. The handbook says education resources are limited because of the prison's mission. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
Jobs: Pretrial and holdover inmates do not have to work, but may be given a job. Some jobs are kept for designated (sentenced) inmates. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗
RDAP and UNICOR: The handbook and the BOP's First Step Act guide (May 2026) do not list a residential drug program or UNICOR factory at Los Angeles. Click here to read the source: MDC Los Angeles Admission and Orientation Handbook (revised May 2022) ↗

Safety record

Criminal cases at Los Angeles

April 8, 2025Headline: "Feds: Mexican Mafia gang member used L.A. federal jail to run prison-based drug empire." We could not open the article text; read it for the details. (Corrections1)
August 12, 2026Headline: "Protesters follow, attack federal detention officers near Los Angeles facility." We could not open the article text, so we cannot say which facility it means. (Corrections1)

Deaths announced by the BOP

December 16, 2020A 78-year-old man who had tested positive for COVID-19 was pronounced dead at a hospital. The BOP said they had long-term medical conditions that are risk factors for severe COVID-19. Click here to read the source: BOP press release, "Inmate Death at MDC Los Angeles," December 17, 2020 ↗

These are deaths the BOP announced in a press release. We found no BOP release since 2020 that names this prison. 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 Los Angeles March 18 to 20, 2025. Result: 2 standards exceeded (115.41 and 115.42), 43 met, 0 not met. In the 12 months before the audit, Los Angeles recorded 2 sexual-abuse allegations (both inmate on inmate) and 8 sexual-harassment allegations (3 against other inmates, 5 against staff). Click here to read the source: PREA audit report, MDC Los Angeles (onsite March 18 to 20, 2025) ↗

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

News about Los Angeles

Lil Durk Placed In Solitary Confinement At Los Angeles PrisonNew York's Power 105.1 FM · Nov 3, 2026

Stories from news outlets that name MDC Los Angeles, checked every day. Last updated Nov 4, 2026, 9:00 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 Los Angeles yet.

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