FPC Alderson (WV)

Camps are the version of federal prison nobody believes until they see it: often no fence, dorm housing, and a daily rhythm built around work assignments and count times. The security is mostly administrative. People stay because walking away turns a short sentence into a long one, not because anything physical stops them.

Day to day, the things that matter are small and concrete. Get a decent work assignment early, learn the count schedule cold, and figure out which rules get enforced and which are theater. The store runs weekly, the phone minutes are rationed, and the internal economy runs on stamps, which is why this guide tracks stamp rates in the first place.

For families: visiting is usually the most relaxed in the system, mail moves reasonably fast, and the biggest early problem is emotional, not logistical. The first two weeks feel like the whole sentence. They are not. Camps run on routine, and routine, once it arrives, is merciful.

I did my time at a camp, so if your question is camp-specific, ask it. This is the one level where there is very little I have not seen or sat next to.