federal prison camp bryan tour

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Federal Bureau of Prisons

Visiting Information

How to send things here, resources for sentenced inmates.

• Other facilities in this complex
• Driving Directions
• Job Vacancies
• Visiting Overview How to visit an inmate. This covers the basic fundamentals that apply to all of our institutions. The BOP welcomes visitors to our institutions. We remind all visitors to carefully review our visiting regulations and to observe any applicable state and local travel advisories in planning your visit.
• Visiting Schedule & Procedures Official policy at that outlines the specific regulations and procedures for visiting an inmate at this facility. Also available in Spanish: Regulaciones de Visitas
• Resources for Media Representatives Conditions under which qualified media representatives may visit institutions.

Visiting Schedule

Notice about visiting hours.

These visiting hours are displayed in an easy to read format for your convenience. They represent the most typical visiting hours at this facility but may not cover all cases; for example, inmates confined to a special housing unit will usually have a modified visiting schedule.

For this reason, you should confirm these visiting hours and other important visiting information by referring to this facility's official policy about these matters: Visiting Regulations

Additionally, the Warden may restrict or cancel visiting for the sake of safety and security; for example, cases of severe weather or other incidents that will impact normal operations at facility. Therefore, it's recommended that you call the facility to confirm the visiting schedule before departing for your visit: 603-342-4000 .

Use the address below to send correspondence and parcels to inmates. Learn more about sending mail

Do NOT send money to an inmate using this facility's address. All funds sent through the mail must be addressed to a processing center in Des Moines, Iowa. This applies to all Federal inmates, regardless of where they are incarcerated.

Learn more about sending funds to an inmate

Use the following address when shipping freight & non-USPS parcels:

Use the following address when sending correspondence and parcels to staff:

Admissions and Orientation (A&O) Handbook

This document provides you with general information about the institution, programs, rules, and regulations that you will encounter during your confinement. Familiarizing yourself with this information and knowing your responsibilities will help you adjust to institution life.

• Admissions & Orientation Handbook Also available in Spanish: Gu�a de Admisi�n y Orientaci�n

Commissary List

In 1930 the Department of Justice authorized and established a Commissary at each Federal institution. The Commissary provides a bank type account for your money & for the procurement of articles not issued regularly as part of the institution administration. Funds deposited by your family, friends, or other sources are stored in your commissary account that we maintain.

• List and prices of items sold at the commissary in

Legal Activities

This document outlines the procedures for access to legal reference materials and legal counsel, and the opportunities that you will be afforded to prepare legal documents while incarcerated.

Inmate Legal Activities

PREA Report

This report, posted on May 4, 2023, as required per 28 CFR �115.403, details the findings of an audit that was conducted by an outside contractor to determine the Federal Bureau of Prisons? (BOP) compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). As the work product of independent auditors subcontracted by PREA Auditors of America (PAOA), the BOP is not responsible for grammatical or typographical errors. Additionally, any questions or comments regarding the discrepancies or inaccuracies found within this report should be directed to PAOA at (713) 818-9098, or to the subcontracted independent auditor (name and email address can be found on page one of the report), for explanation and resolution.

Other facilities at the Federal Correctional Complex

Bryan Federal Prison Camp: A Closer Look at Bryan’s Minimum Security Prison

Table of Contents

In the heart of Bryan, Texas, lies a unique correctional facility known as the Bryan Federal Prison Camp. This minimum-security prison camp, nestled in Brazos County, plays a significant role in the criminal justice system. In this article, we’ll explore the various aspects of this institution, from its inmate population to its educational programs and visiting hours.

An Overview of Bryan Federal Prison Camp

The location.

Bryan Federal Prison Camp is strategically situated in Bryan, Texas, within the boundaries of Brazos County. This tranquil setting belies the strict environment within its walls. The prison primarily serves as a facility for female inmates, with a capacity to house up to 826 individuals.

Inmate Activities

One distinguishing feature of this minimum-security facility is its emphasis on inmate rehabilitation through work assignments and educational opportunities. Inmates at Bryan Federal Prison Camp are encouraged to participate in various activities, including:

Kitchen Work

In the prison’s kitchen, inmates are engaged in meal preparation, handling vegetables and meats. This vocational training not only supports daily prison operations but also equips individuals with valuable culinary skills.

Vocational Assignments

Bryan Federal Prison Camp offers a range of vocational assignments that enable inmates to acquire practical skills for future employment. These assignments include:

Federal Prison Industries

In collaboration with Federal Prison Industries, inmates have the opportunity to work in a call center and participate in operations related to catalog distribution and patent processing. These programs provide valuable work experience and foster personal growth.

Education Programs

Education is a cornerstone of rehabilitation at Bryan Federal Prison Camp. Inmates have access to several educational programs designed to enhance their knowledge and skills. These programs include:

General Education Development (GED) Program

Inmates can work towards obtaining their GED, providing them with a foundational education that can be applied both inside and outside the prison walls.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

For those who need to improve their English language proficiency, the ESL program offers valuable language skills that can enhance communication and job prospects upon release.

Post-Secondary Education

Through community college partnerships, inmates can pursue post-secondary education, preparing them for a successful reintegration into society.

Parenting Programs

Bryan Federal Prison Camp recognizes the importance of family, offering parenting programs to help incarcerated parents maintain strong connections with their children.

Additional Programs

In addition to educational opportunities, the prison offers various other programs, such as the Residential Drug Treatment Program and ACCESS, a dog training program. Inmates can also become apprentices in programs like cosmetology, dental works, and horticulture. These initiatives aim to instill a sense of purpose and responsibility in inmates, fostering personal growth and development.

Visiting Hours at Bryan Federal Prison Camp

Visiting hours at Bryan Federal Prison Camp are crucial for maintaining family ties and providing emotional support to inmates. The following information outlines the visitation schedule and guidelines:

• Visiting hours are on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• On federal holidays, visiting hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Visitors arriving on Saturdays and Sundays must be present by 3:00 p.m., while on federal holidays, arrival by 1:00 p.m. is recommended.
• Each inmate is permitted up to five child visitors and five adult visitors simultaneously.
• The visiting room has a maximum capacity of 570 individuals, including children.
• Visits may be cut short if overcrowding occurs.
• Visitors are allowed to bring up to $40.00 for use in vending machines. This money should be stored in a clear, plastic bag, with dimensions not exceeding 4x4x12 inches.

Contact Information

Physical address.

Bryan Federal Prison Camp 1100 Ursuline Avenue Bryan, Texas 77803

For inquiries, you can reach Bryan Federal Prison Camp at 979-823-1879.

Inmate Mailing Address

If you wish to correspond with an inmate, please use the following format for mailing:

Inmate Name, ID Number Bryan Federal Prison Camp P.O. Box 2149 Bryan, Texas 77805

Bryan Federal Prison Camp is not just a place of confinement; it is a facility committed to inmate rehabilitation and personal growth. Through vocational assignments, educational programs, and family connections, the prison aims to provide inmates with the tools they need to lead productive lives upon release. By fostering a sense of purpose and offering valuable skills, Bryan Federal Prison Camp plays a vital role in the criminal justice system.

• Can inmates at Bryan Federal Prison Camp access the internet? No, inmates at this minimum-security facility do not have internet access.
• Are there recreational facilities at Bryan Federal Prison Camp? Yes, the prison provides recreational facilities to promote physical activity and well-being among inmates.
• How can I send money to an inmate at this facility? You can send money to an inmate by following the guidelines outlined on the official website of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
• Is there a limit to the number of visits an inmate can receive each month? There is no specific monthly visitation limit, but visitors should adhere to the scheduled visiting hours.
• Do inmates have access to healthcare services at Bryan Federal Prison Camp? Yes, the facility provides healthcare services to address the medical needs of inmates.

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Camp Bryan: What do we know about the Texas prison holding Elizabeth Holmes?

Among the inmates at camp bryan is real housewives star jen shah, while january 6 rioter jenna ryan spent a 60-day stretch there in 2021, article bookmarked.

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Disgraced  Theranos  founder  Elizabeth Holmes  has begun her 11-year prison sentence  after being found guilty of defrauding  investors  in her Silicon Valley blood-testing startup.

She will serve her time at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas – an all-female facility that is located around 100 miles from Houston.

The minimum security prison houses around 600 inmates, and runs a variety of programmes intended to prepare prisoners for life after incarceration, according to Camp Bryan’s handbook .

Most of the inmates have been convicted of white-collar crimes, low-level drug offences, or harbouring illegal immigrants, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

• Elizabeth Holmes news – latest: Theranos founder to surrender to Texas prison today to begin 11-year sentence
• Elizabeth Holmes prison: Everything we know about disgraced Theranos founder going to jail
• As Elizabeth Holmes heads to prison for fraud, questions remain about her motives

Among the inmates at Camp Bryan is Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reality TV star Jen Shah, who is serving six years behind bars for wire fraud. Shah has posted several blog entries from the prison, which she said does not have “many kind people in this place”.

Former inmates include Jenna Ryan, the Texas real estate agent convicted of participating in the January 6 riots.

Ms Ryan told how she passed her 60-day sentence eating bologna sandwiches and watching television, in a Twitter video after her release.

According to the Wall Street Journal , John Carreyrou’s 2018 book Bad Blood which documented her rise and fall is available in the prison library.

Inmates told the Journal they were eagerly anticipating Holmes’ arrival.

“Some people are like 'I want to be her friend’,” Tasha Wade, a current inmate, told the newspaper.

New inmates are required to undergo drug testing at the facility, and there are also a number of health and counselling services available to those who need it.

Given that the facility largely houses non-violent offenders, security is minimal and inmates stay in dorm-style accommodation.

Holmes’ day will begin at 6am, when inmates are woken up for meals and work; people failing to comply with the strict wake-up rules are subject to punishments.

Inmates are then counted at five different times during the day, when they must assemble in specific areas (once again, punishments are doled out to those who are not present at these times).

The prison features a study, game room, and work programmes that see all inmates take part in a six-week course on the importance of efficiency in the workplace before they are placed into a role – with some prisoners earning as little as $0.12 per hour in some assignments, including the kitchen, where all new inmates spend their first three months working.

According to the handbook, “All designated inmates are required to develop a financial plan to meet their financial obligations”, which for Holmes will mean reparations of $452m.

Among the activities on offer at the prison are arts and crafts courses, as well as leisure facilities such as a gym. Inmates are also encouraged to take part in technical courses, which cover everything from cosmetology to Microsoft-business applications, and small business management.

How will Holmes keep in touch with her family?

Holmes is married to Billy Evans, and the pair have two children, William, 2, and newborn Invicta. She lives around 100 miles from her family, who will be permitted to visit at weekends.

Inmates at Camp Bryan are also permitted to take part in video sessions with their friends and family, according to the handbook, as well as to send and receive text messages.

Prior to beginning her sentence at Camp Bryan, Holmes spent the weekend with her husband and children at the beach near the family’s rented home in San Diego.

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FPC Bryan Visitation Center

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General Facility Information

Visitation table of contents.

• What can I expect when visiting.
• Are the visitation rules different depending on the type prison that Federal Prison Camp, Bryan is?
• Are there different rules based on the level of an inmate’s custody?
• Can I bring my inmate anything in the visiting room?
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• Where can I get a visitation application for Federal Prison Camp, Bryan? - Click to download.
• What are some of the do’s and don’ts of visitation?
• Visiting an Inmate - 10 easy steps you should know.
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General Visitation Information

Bryan minimum - visiting hours.

• Saturday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Sunday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Holidays 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

Visiting Information

• Visiting Overview
• Visiting Schedule & Procedures - Official policy at FPC Bryan. Also available in Spanish: Regulaciones de Visitas

Regular Visitors: Ordinarily, within the first five (5) working days after arrival, inmates will be allowed to establish a visiting list.

Members of the Immediate Family: All adult members of the inmate's immediate family will normally be placed on the approved list of visitors upon the inmate's request. Immediate family includes: father, mother, step-parents, brothers, sisters, spouse, or anyone that has served as a parent, such as a legal guardian, foster parents, grandparents (established in the inmate's pre-sentence report). For individuals with a different family name to be considered for visiting, documentation should be submitted to the Unit Team. The Unit Team member will verify the visitor’s status as immediate family prior to the initial visit.

The mother of an inmate’s child(ren), but not legally married to the inmate, will be considered for visits in order to accompany the minor child(ren).

Persons with Criminal Records: The existence of a criminal record does preclude visits. Consideration will be given to the nature, extent and recentness of the criminal record, as weighed against the value of the relationship. Each case will be requested through the Unit Team and approved by the Associate Warden of Operations and Programs.

Children under Sixteen: Children under the age of 16 may not visit unless accompanied by an approved adult visitor. Children shall be kept under direct supervision of a responsible adult. There are no designated areas for children. Exceptions in unusual circumstances may be made by special approval of the Warden.

Special Visits: Special visits can be authorized by the Associate Warden, through a recommendation by the Unit Manager, normally under extraordinary circumstances. Special visits, for the purpose of this supplement are defined as an inmate request to visit on other than their normal day.

Inmates will submit special visit requests in advance of the visiting date. Once approved by the Associate Warden, a Unit Team member will provide copies of the written visit authorization to the Front Lobby and Visiting Room Officers, and will enter the visit authorization information into the computer visiting program.

The written visit authorization memorandum will state the following details: date of the visit, specific names of visitors, and the reason for granting the special visit. During non-visiting days, a Unit Team member will provide supervision for the special visit.

Other relatives and friends will be those individuals with whom the inmate had an association with prior to incarceration. Exceptions to the prior relationship rule may be made, particularly for inmates without other Visitors, when it is shown that the proposed visitor is reliable and poses no threat to the security or good order of the institution. This association must be determined by the inmate’s unit team to be a positive relationship. These relatives and friends will be added to the visiting list only after a favorable background check. The approval must be made by the inmate’s Unit Manager. The inmate will be notified of approval or disapproval so that he can notify the proposed visitor.

Entrance Procedures: Visitors will be allowed into the facility’s parking area 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the visitation hours. After the visitation hours are completed, all visitors must leave the facility. Visitors found loitering in the parking area during non-visiting hours will be instructed to leave the facility. All visitors will be required to park and secure their vehicles in the designated parking spaces provided for visitors. Individuals who are not visiting will not be permitted to remain in their vehicles or in the parking area except to pick up or discharge passengers.

All visitors will be instructed to complete the “Notification to Visitors” form, which affirms that no contraband is in their possession. The Notification to Visitors forms will be maintained for one year.

Visitors must have proof of their identity prior to the visit. Staff shall verify the identity of each visitor through a valid, unexpired photo identification card issued by a Local, State or Federal Government agency, (for example: driver’s license, passport, resident card), prior to admission of the visitor to the Visiting Room. The Operations Lieutenant and the Institution Duty Officer will be responsible for handling all denials of visiting privileges.

Visitors for the Camp will proceed to the Camp Visiting Room, where they will report directly to the Camp Visiting OIC for processing.

Visitor Searches: In order to deter the introduction of contraband into the facility, all visitors entering the facility must be willing to submit to searches including, but not limited to, pat searches, drug detection screening, metal detection screening, vehicle searches and searches of personal property.

Dress Code for Visitors: Inmates are responsible for informing their prospective visitors of the dress attire permitted in the visiting room. Visitors are expected to wear clothing which is neither provocative nor enticing to the extent that a disruption to the orderly running of the institution could ensue.

Clothing which is similar to and resembles the style or color of that issued to inmates (for example, dark green trousers with plain white or dark green shirt at the FPC) is not allowed to be worn inside the Visiting Room. Clothing which is sexually suggestive or revealing is prohibited. No bare feet will be allowed except for infants.

1) Prohibited Attire: a. Shorts of any kind (except for small children under age of 10 b. Transparent garments of any kind c. Sleeveless blouses or shirts, must cover entire shoulder d. Bathing suits e. Mini Skirts f. Crop tops g. Sun dresses h. Halter tops i. Backless tops j. Hats, caps, scarfs k. Wrap around skirts, shirts or dresses l. Spandex pants, skirts or tights, Leotards m. Sweat pants/sweat shirts n. Shirts or jeans with holes o. Low cut blouses/dresses p. Hooded shirts, jackets or sweaters q. Skirts/dresses above knee level r. Open toe Shoes, 3” max spike heel s. Flip-flop style beach shoes

2) Authorized items: a. Clear plastic bag no larger than 12x12 b. Money (Up to $25 in denominations not larger than $5.00) c. Valid Photo identification d. Essential medication (limited to the amount needed during the visiting period) Officer will have knowledge of medication in the visiting room. e. One overgarment (coat, jacket, sweater) f. One (1) car key g. Feminine Hygiene items (one tampon, one pad)

3) Authorized items for infants and/or children: a. Four (4) Diapers b. One (1) package of baby wipes in clear plastic bag c. One (1) change of infant clothing d. Two (2) clear baby bottles with contents e. Two (2) small jars of unopened baby food f. One (1) receiving blanket g. One (1) see-through drinking cup NOTE: Only the amount of articles for children necessary for the duration of the visit will be allowed. Excessive amounts will be not be allowed.

4) Visiting Room - Prohibited items: a. Tobacco products b. Handbags c. Strollers, baby carriers d. Newspapers e. Baby diaper bags f. Magazines g. Toys h. Electronic Equipment i. Pocket knives j. Handcuff keys k. Chewing Gum l. Wallets m. Cell phones of any kind

5) Visitors are not allowed to bring any items in to give to inmates.

Staff will contact the Operations Lieutenant or the current Duty Officer prior to denying a visitor entry into the institution based on their attire. Visitors with excess money or personal items which are not authorized, will be asked to remove them from the institution.

There are a limited number of lockers reserved for use by visitors who do not have vehicles on the premises. Items too large to fit into lockers must be removed from the institution. When utilizing the lockers, visitors will be given a key; and they will keep it until they are ready to depart the institution. At no time will any staff retain any type of visitor’s property.

L. Inmates Entering the Visiting Room: Inmates entering the Visiting Room will be dressed in institution-issued trousers, shirts, and boots. One commissary purchased long-sleeve undergarment, i.e., long-john, t-shirt is allowed to be worn under institution clothing during visiting. No tennis shoes are permitted. Commissary ordered boots provided they are black in color are authorized. Medical shoes will be authorized only with valid medical documentation.

1) Authorized items for inmates in Visiting Room: a. One comb b. One handkerchief c. One wedding band (no stones) d. One religious medallion (no stones), with chain e. Prescription eyeglasses

All items taken into the Visiting Room will be inspected and inventoried, and the same items must leave the Visiting Room with the inmate. Visiting Room Officers will complete Attachment 2 (Shakedown Room Inmate Log form) of this supplement.

With prior approval, inmates will be allowed to bring legal materials into the Visiting Room for legal visits. This material will be inspected by the Visiting Room Officer for contraband; however, the contents will not be read.

M. Inmate and Visitor Conduct Within the Visiting Room: The inmate has the final responsibility to ensure all visits are conducted in a quiet and dignified manner. Inmates and their visitors are responsible for the behavior of their children. Any visit not conducted in an appropriate manner will be terminated. In the event that a visit must be terminated, the visiting room officer may terminate visits that are not conducted in the appropriate manner. Prior to terminating a visit, Visiting Room Officers must consult with the Institution Duty Officer or Operations Lieutenant.

The Associate Warden, Institution Duty Officer, or the Captain should be consulted in questionable cases. If a visit is terminated, Visiting Room staff will prepare a memorandum to the Unit Manager, through the Operations Lieutenant; with a copy forwarded to the Captain, explaining the circumstances.

Embracing and kissing by inmate family members will be permitted only at the initial greeting and at the conclusion of the visiting period. Limited physical contact reduces the opportunity for contraband to be introduced into the institution. No individuals will be allowed to sit on another person’s lap, with the exception of infants. No Straddling.

Visiting Room Officers should be aware of any articles exchanged between the inmate and the visitor. If there is any reasonable basis to suspect that an exchange of unauthorized materials is taking place, which constitutes a violation of the law or regulations, the Visiting Room Officer will examine the item. The Operations Lieutenant will be notified immediately whenever there is a reason to suspect contraband is being exchanged. A memorandum will be submitted to the SIS Office describing the event.

Any effort to violate visiting regulations will result in disciplinary action for the inmate. Disciplinary action may include denial of future visits; and criminal prosecution may be initiated against the visitor and the inmate.

The Operations Lieutenant and/or Institution Duty Officer may terminate visits for the following reasons: • disruptive or improper conduct by the visitor or inmate, • suspected introduction of contraband by visitor, • failure to supervise children visiting, or inmate/visitor’s continued failure to comply with visiting regulations

N. Computer Visiting Program: To ensure proper tracking of FPC inmates, visiting records will be entered into the institution’s Computer Visiting Program. This program includes the following data: visiting lists, visitation history, visitation points, inmate information, visitors’ information, special comments or instructions and other records. It also generates a wide variety of visitation related reports.

The Front Lobby Officer will enter the visitor’s information into the program, and the Visiting Room OIC at the FPC. After ensuring that the individual is approved to visit and visitation points are available and deducted, the visitor will be logged into the system. The time of arrival and departure of both inmates and visitors will be logged in. Upon completion of the visitation period, the Visiting Room OIC will generate a report which includes the names of both inmates and visitors, visitation period times, and the total amount of visits. The daily visitation report will be forwarded to the Captain for records maintenance.

In the event that the computer system or Visiting Program become inoperative, the visitation processing will be conducted by utilizing the visiting lists maintained in applicable visitors’ processing area. Unit Team staff are responsible for maintaining and updating the visiting lists. Visiting lists are organized in alphabetical order and maintained in designated folders per housing units. The files containing the visiting lists must be stored in a secured area because the contents include sensitive information. The FPC visiting lists are stored in a secured cabinet at the Camp Visiting Officer’s station.

The Officer will ensure that the visitor is listed on the visiting list prior to allowing access into the Visiting Room. If the visiting list is missing or the visitor’s information cannot be verified, Unit Team will be contacted to attempt to get the information. If Unit Team is not available or the visitor’s information cannot be verified, the Duty Officer and/or Operations Lieutenant will be contacted for further instructions.

The daily visitation report will be generated by manually counting the amount of inmates, adult visitors and children recorded on the Notification to Visitor form. The total amount of each category and total amount of visitors will be forwarded to the Captain’s Office via memorandum. The results of the daily visitation report will be entered on the applicable log book.

Visitation Rules

Federal Minimum - Rules by Type

FEDERAL PRISON CAMP VISITING ROOM SPECIFIC PROCEDURES: Visiting will be based on a point system. On the first day of each month, all FPC inmates will be credited nine (9) points. The FPC Visiting Room is comprised of an interior visiting area and a patio area. Assigned seating is not enforced. Both the interior area and patio will be opened during the entire visitation period. There is a designated playground for children in the patio area; however, children must be supervised by the visitor at all times.

A. Visitor Processing: Visitors for the FPC will report directly to the Camp Visiting Room, where they will be processed by the Camp Visiting OIC. The Officer will ensure that visitors complete the Notification To Visitor forms and sign the appropriate Visitors Log. The Camp Visiting Officer will log the visitor’s information into the computer visiting program. All minors must be accompanied by an adult visitor at the time of processing upon arrival and during the duration of the visit. Minors must be constantly supervised by the respective adult visitor, and may not be left in the care of inmates nor exit the visiting room without adult supervision.

B. Visitor Searches: In order to deter the introduction of contraband into the secured perimeter of the institution, all visitors requesting access to the facility must be willing to submit to searches including, but not limited to, pat searches, drug detection screening, metal detection screening, vehicle searches and searches of personal property. Any visitor that refuses to submit to any screening procedure or searches will be denied access into the institution. The Operations Lieutenant or Duty Officer will be notified prior to denying access to a visitor.

C. Visitors Departing the Visiting Room: Upon completion of the visiting period, inmates and visitors will report to the Visiting Room Officer to be re-identified. The Camp OIC will ensure that visitors sign out on the Visitors Log. Once a visitor leaves the visiting room, re-entry will not be permitted for the day. Individuals not authorized to visit will not be permitted to loiter at the visiting room’s entrance or adjacent areas. Communication or contact of inmates and visitors through the gates or fence line will not be permitted.

D. Inmates Entering the Visiting Room: Inmate Attire: Inmates entering the Visiting Room will be dressed in an institutional issued uniform which includes green trousers, green shirt, belt and footwear. A white shirt or gray sweater worn underneath the uniform shirt is optional. No jackets will be allowed to be worn during the visiting period. Inmate shoes issued to inmates by the institution or approved shoes purchased through the commissary are the only authorized footwear. No tennis shoes are permitted. Inmate Processing: Upon notification from the Camp Visiting OIC, inmates will report to the Visiting Room. No inmates are allowed to loiter outside the Visiting Room inmate entrance area or adjacent gates without notification for visiting. The Camp Visiting Room Officer will allow the inmate access to the Visiting Room for processing through the shakedown room. Inmates will be identified via the commissary card. All authorized items taken into the Visiting Room will be inspected, and the same items must leave the Visiting Room with the inmate, unless otherwise authorized. Unauthorized items will not be allowed or retained by the Officer.

Inmates will be pat searched prior to entering the visiting area. With prior written approval, inmates will be allowed to bring legal materials into the Visiting Room for Legal Visits: This material will be inspected by the Visiting Room Officer for contraband; however, the contents will not be read.

E. Inmates Departing the Visiting Room: Upon the completion of the visitation period, inmates will report to the Officer’s station to be identified. At the shakedown room, the Camp Visiting #2 Officer will conduct a pat search on all inmates exiting. Once an inmate leaves the visiting room, re-entry will not be permitted for the day.

F. Inmate Conduct During Visitation Period: Inmates are permitted to leave their seating areas for the following purposes: • to use the inmate restroom • to accompany visitor to the vending machines • to go to the photo area (1 inmate at a time), and • upon completion of his visit Inmates are not allowed to socialize with individuals other than their approved visitors.

The inmate restroom will be opened at all times. Inmates are forbidden from using the visitors’ rest rooms.

G. Patio Area: The patio area will be opened during the full visitation period. Table umbrellas are available to be used on the outside patio area during daytime visiting days only (weekends and federal holidays). Inmates or visitors will have the choice to sit on the patio or indoors. In the event that inmates and/or visitors engage in any behavior that violates the visiting regulations, the officers may assign sitting arrangements for close monitoring of the visit(s) upon authorization by the Operations Lieutenant. The patio gates are not to be used for entry or exit of the Visiting Room at any time during visitation periods.

Inmate and Visitor Conduct Within the Visiting Room: The inmate has the final responsibility to ensure all visits are conducted in a quiet and dignified manner. Inmates and their visitors are responsible for the behavior of their children. Any visit not conducted in an appropriate manner will be terminated. In the event that a visit must be terminated, the visiting room officer may terminate visits that are not conducted in the appropriate manner. Prior to terminating a visit, Visiting Room Officers must consult with the Institution Duty Officer or Operations Lieutenant.

Visitation Rules(Security)

Federal Minimum - Rules by Security

Federal Correctional Institution Bryan, TX Visiting Regulations

VISITORS HANDOUT

The following is an outline of the regulations and procedures governing visiting with inmates at the Federal Prison Camp. It is the philosophy of this institution that inmate contact (visits) with family and other persons will help an offender to plan a more realistic future for his return to society. Basic Regulations. All visitors will enter the institution at the front entrance. Each visitor must provide a valid photo identification card, (e.g., State ID, Driver's License, Passport) before being allowed to visit. Any person(s) not permitted to visit may not remain in the institution or parking lot. Approved visitors will not be allowed to go to and from their vehicles unless it is to return an item which was refused entry. When you have parked your car, make sure it is locked and the windows are closed. Each inmate is provided with an unlimited amount of visiting time during regular visiting hours with those persons on his approved visiting list unless circumstances warrant otherwise. Inmates assigned to the Special Housing Unit are allowed only a two-hour visit. When overcrowding occurs the Institution Supplement will be referred to. Inmates will be allowed a total of five (5) adult visitors and three (3) small children (under 3 years of age). Children older than 3 years and/or using a Visiting Room chair, will be counted towards the adult limit. The Institution Duty Officer and the Operations Lieutenant has the right to terminate any visit due to improper conduct on the part of the inmate or his visitor(s). Visitors will not be allowed to bring in or give anything to an inmate. Visitors are to refer and abide to the authorized items and attire list. Inmates are not allowed to receive food from outside sources. Visitors are not allowed to bring in food items or tobacco products. There are vending machines in the visiting room from which food snacks can be purchased. Concerns regarding the vending machines should be directed to the business office, or by calling the posted phone number on the machine. Individuals with medical problems which require them to carry medication into the visiting room must inform the Front Lobby Officer of their condition and receive permission to carry the medication into the visiting room.

Visitor Dress Requirements: Visitors are expected to wear clothing which is neither provocative nor enticing to the extent that a disruption to the orderly running of the institution could ensue. Clothing which is sexually suggestive or revealing is prohibited. No bare feet will be allowed except for infants. Clothing similar to that issued to inmates is not allowed (i.e., dark green trousers with plain white or dark green shirt at the FPC).

Prohibited Attire: a. Shorts of any kind (except for small children under age of 10 b. Transparent garments of any kind c. Sleeveless blouses or shirts, must cover entire shoulder d. Bathing suits e. Mini Skirts f. Crop tops g. Sun dresses h. Halter tops i. Backless tops j. Hats, caps, scarfs k. Wrap around skirts, shirts or dresses l. Spandex pants, skirts or tights, Leotards, Leggings m. Sweat pants/sweat shirts n. Shirts or jeans with holes o. Low cut blouses/dresses p. Hooded shirts, jackets or sweaters q. Skirts/dresses above knee level r. Open toe Shoes, 3” max spike heel s. Flip-flop style beach shoes

2) Authorized items: a. Clear plastic bag no larger than 12x12 b. Money (Up to $25 in denominations not larger than $5.00) c. Valid Photo identification d. Essential medication (limited to the amount needed during the visiting period) Officer will have knowledge of medication in the visiting room. e. One overgarment (coat, jacket, sweater) f. One (1) car key g. Feminine Hygiene items, 1 tampon, 1 pad

3) Authorized items for infants and/or children: a. Four (4) Diapers b. One (1) package of baby wipes in clear plastic bag c. One (1) change of infant clothing d. Two (2) clear baby bottles with contents e. Two (2) small jars of unopened baby food f. One (1) receiving blanket g. One (1) see-through drinking cup

4) Visiting Room - Prohibited items: a. Tobacco products Attachment 1, b. Handbags c. Strollers, baby carriers d. Newspapers e. Baby diaper bags f. Magazines g. Toys h. Electronic Equipment i. Pocket knives j. Handcuff keys k. Chewing Gum l. Wallets m. Cell phones of any kind Visiting Room Conduct. A short embrace and kiss at the beginning of the visit and when it has terminated is the only physical contact which will be allowed. Any excessive display of affection between inmate and visitor will not be permitted and could result in termination of the visit. Children under the age of 16 will not be allowed entry into the institution to visit unless they are accompanied by an adult visitor. Adult visitors will be responsible for the conduct of children under their supervision. This includes keeping them within the authorized visiting areas. Visitors may be denied entry by the Operations Lieutenant or Institution Duty Officer for non-compliance. Excessively provocative attire is a reason to deny and/or preclude visiting. Any effort to violate the visiting policies of the institution may result in disciplinary action against the inmate; which may include the denial of future visits. If warranted, criminal prosecution may be initiated against the visitor, the inmate, or both.

NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS: CONSENT TO SEARCH Federal Bureau of Prisons (Bureau) staff may search you and your belongings (bags, boxes, vehicles, containers in vehicles, jackets, coats, etc.) before you enter, or while you are on or inside, Bureau grounds or facilities. Consent to Search Implied. By entering or attempting to enter Bureau grounds or facilities, you consent to being searched in accordance with Bureau policy and Federal Regulations in volume 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 511. If you refuse to be searched, you may be prohibited from entering Bureau grounds or facilities. NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS: PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTS You are prohibited from engaging in prohibited activities or possessing prohibited objects on Bureau grounds, or in Bureau facilities, without the knowledge and consent of the warden. Violators may be detained or arrested for possible criminal prosecution, either by Bureau staff, or local or Federal law enforcement authorities. Prohibited Activities include any activities that could jeopardize the Bureau’s ability to ensure the safety, security, and orderly operation of Bureau facilities, and protect the public, including, but not limited to, violations of Titles 18 and 21 of the United States Code, Federal regulations, or Bureau policies. Prohibited Objects include, but are not limited to, weapons, explosives, drugs, intoxicants, currency, cameras of any type, recording equipment, telephones, radios, pagers, electronic devices, and any other objects that violate criminal laws or are prohibited by Federal regulations or Bureau policies.

NOTICE. All persons entering this Federal property are subject to a search of their person and belongings (bags, boxes, vehicles, containers in vehicles, jackets, coats, etc.).

NOTICE: Firearms and other dangerous weapons are prohibited in this Federal facility. Violators may be criminally prosecuted under 18 U.S.C. § 930.

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Home » Federal Bureau of Prisons | Federal Prison » FPC Bryan | Bryan Federal Prison Camp | Bryan Texas Prison

FPC Bryan | Bryan Federal Prison Camp | Bryan Texas Prison

Federal Prison Camp Bryan is a minimum-security federal prison located in Bryan, Texas . It is also known as FPC Bryan and the women’s prison Bryan, Texas. The facility houses female inmates.

Table of contents

Facility address & contact information, how to send money, inmate gender, prison security level, facility location, bop institution code, medical care level, mental health care level, judicial district, population number, inmate housing, health services, psychology services, residential drug abuse program (rdap), education services, advanced occupational education, vocational training, apprenticeship, library services, recreation services, visitation information for fpc bryan, prison politics at federal prison camp bryan, level of violence, vulnerable populations, good at fpc bryan, bad at fpc bryan, other inmate comments, fpc bryan in the news, more information about federal prison camp bryan, fpc bryan contact information.

Federal Prison Camp Bryan 1100 Ursuline Avenue Bryan, TX 77803

Phone: 979-823-1879 Fax: 979-821-3316 Email: [email protected]

BOP Website: Bureau of Prisons Page Wikipedia: Wikipedia Page

Inmate Correspondence Address

Inmate Name and Registration Number FPC Bryan Federal Prison Camp P.O. Box 2149 Bryan , TX 77805

Do not send money to an inmate at Bryan Federal Prison Camp . See our page on sending money to federal prisoners .

Federal Prison Camp Bryan Inmate Information

Female Inmates

Minimum-Security Federal Prison

FPC Bryan is located 95 miles northwest of Houston and 165 miles south of Dallas, in the town of Bryan at the intersection of Ursuline Avenue and 23rd Street.

South Central Region

BRY for FPC Bryan

Level 2. See our page on Medical Care Levels and Procedures for more information.

Southern District of Texas

FPC Bryan houses approximately 515 inmates.

FPC Bryan Prison Services Information

Federal Prison Camp Bryan is a minimum-security federal women’s prison in Bryan, Texas, which houses female inmates. It was opened in 1989.

The facility partners with Canine Companions for Independence to allow inmates to train dogs to become personal assistance dogs.

Notable inmates include former Commissioner of Hidalgo County (TX) Sylvia Handy (convicted of hiring illegal aliens as county employees and personal caretakers and then stealing their earnings to pay for personal expenses) and Ruby Jane McMillian (convicted of conspiracy as part of a methamphetamine distribution ring).

Media reports indicate that there have been at least three escapes at the institution and that at least seven female inmates have been sexually assaulted by prison guards.

In 2017, Insider Monkey named Bryan federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, as one of the ten easiest federal prisons to do time.

Inmates are housed in four-person rooms. There are approximately 200 inmates per dormitory.

Health services provided at FPC Bryan include sick calls, emergency health treatment, medications, physical examinations, chronic care, HIV testing, dental services, and initial screening. Emergency medical care is available 24 hours a day. Routine care is obtained by attending the sick call.

Bryan, Texas federal prison provides various psychological services, including:

• Screening/Assessment
• Drug Education
• Individual/Group Counseling
• Psycho-Educational Classes
• Self-Help/Supportive Services
• Medications

Brief counseling and long-term therapy are also available. Medication monitoring and evaluation for medication referral are available. Mental health programs designed to help inmates with severe emotional, cognitive, and behavioral problems are available for inmates who are having difficulty functioning in a mainline institution due to a psychological disorder. The STAGES Program for inmates with serious mental illness and personality disorders is also offered.

FPC Bryan has the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). It also provides a drug abuse program, Drug Abuse Education Course, and the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP).

FPC Bryan Educational, Library, and Recreation Offerings

FPC Bryan provides literacy, GED, English-as-a-Second Language (ESL), Adult Continuing Education (ACE) courses, and parenting classes. Hours of operation are 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., 12:40 to 3:30 p.m., and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Incentive awards are provided to inmates making satisfactory progress and successfully completing the literacy programs. Inmates may also receive incentives for progressing to various levels in the GED or ESL programs. Graduation ceremonies recognize GED, ESL, and Occupational Education completions. High school diplomas and post-secondary degrees are available through paid correspondence programs. Blinn College also offers inmates on-site classes.

FPC Bryan offers advanced occupational education in:

• Accounting Technology
• Administrative Assistant Specialist
• Cosmetologist
• Horticulture
• Medical Transcription/Coding Specialist
• Microsoft-Business Applications
• Small Business Management.

FPC Bryan does not offer vocational training programs aside from advanced occupational education programs.

No apprenticeship training programs are currently available at the federal women’s prison in Bryan, Texas, aside from the advanced occupational education programs.

FPC Bryan offers both leisure and law libraries. The leisure library offers inmates a variety of reading materials, including periodicals, newspapers, fiction, nonfiction, and reference books. An interlibrary loan program is available. The TRULINCS Electronic Law Library provides inmates with access to legal materials and an opportunity to prepare legal documents. A copy machine and electric typewriters are also available for inmate usage.

The FPC Bryan UNICOR faculty is a call center.

Inmates are allowed to spend $360.00 monthly in the commissary on their assigned shopping days. Inmates may use funds in their account to purchase items at the institution commissary, place funds on their inmate phone account, purchase TRU-Units for their TRULINCS account or send funds out of the institution using Form BP-199. Often inmates carry their purchases in laundry bags back to their housing unit.

Leisure activities at FPC Bryan include:

• Organized and informal games
• Physical Fitness
• Table Games
• Hobby Crafts
• Music Programs
• Intramural Activities
• Social/Cultural Organizations

Art and hobby craft programs, wellness programs, and other recreation programs are also available. Indoors, inmates will find treadmills, ellipticals, Stairmasters, and various weights. Outdoors, inmates can participate in softball, volleyball, weightlifting, yoga, Pilates, and the Jumpstart weight loss program. Picnic tables, bleachers, and TVs are also available. Hours of operation are 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., excluding count times and recall for the noon meal.

On Saturdays and Sundays, visiting hours are between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. On federal holidays visiting hours are between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. See our page on prisoner visitation rules for more information.

FPC Bryan Prison Culture Information

Because FPC Bryan is a Camp, there are virtually no prison politics.

There is almost no violence. One inmate stated that the institution is “very safe” and that there “very rarely is there an altercation.”

While sex offenders are barred from Camp placement, informants and LGBT federal inmates don’t have any problems walking this yard.

“The programs offered and the opportunity to better yourself.”

“The pettiness and the lack of professionalism of a few staff members.”

“Stepping down from an FCI, here you have many more rights, but also many more rules.” “As long as you do the right things in here, this place is easy. There are always worse places to bid your time.”

In May 2017, three women — Edith Lara, Ysenia Frausto, and Brenda Rosas — escaped from the Federal women’s prison in Bryan, Texas. Frausto was picked up by the U.S. Marshals two days later.

In July 2016, James Graves, a guard at FPC Bryan, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for engaging in sexual contact with two female prisoners.

In May 2016, Kendrick Desmond Brooks, an employee at FPC Bryan, was sentenced to six months for having sex with female prisoners.

In April 2016, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates visited FPC Bryan as part of National Reentry Week, designed to highlight the necessity of successful reintegration back into society.

Also in April 2016, Marshall Thomas, a guard at Bryan Federal Prison Campin Bryan, Texas, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and required to register as a sex offender after admitting to forcible intercourse with a female prisoner and vaginal penetration with his fingers of another prisoner in July 2014.

In April 2010, Canine Companions for Independence began operating a program at FPC Bryan to train puppies the skills to become assistance dogs.

In 1998, Charles Keith Alexander, a cook supervisor at FPC Bryan, was indicted on nine misdemeanor charges after sexually assaulting four female prisoners over a two-year period.

For a comprehensive look at life in federal prison, pick up a copy of Christopher Zoukis’  Federal Prison Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Surviving the Federal Bureau of Prisons . For more detailed information about FPC Bryan , please buy a copy of the Directory of Federal Prisons: The Unofficial Guide to Bureau of Prisons Institutions  by Christopher Zoukis.

Published May 18, 2018 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Jul 20, 2023 at 5:40 pm

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BREAKING: Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli dies at 83

Inside the federal prison camp where Jen Shah could serve her 6½-year sentence

Although it's not publicly known where "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah will report to prison Friday, her lawyers have pushed for her to serve her 6½-year sentence for wire fraud at a federal prison camp.

Experts say if you have to serve time, the minimum-security institutions are the best places to do it.

"A minimum-security camp is obviously the gold standard for a defendant," NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos said.

While not quite the lavish “ Shah Ski Chalet ” — the $7.4 million, 9,400-square-foot, five-bedroom mansion where Shah lived in the first two seasons of “Real Housewives" — federal prison camps don't have the cells, barbed wire or stringent regulations characteristic of higher-security prisons.

Instead, inmates live in dormitory-style housing, and there’s little or no fencing surrounding the facilities, according to the Bureau of Prisons .

The camps house mostly nonviolent offenders who are serving short sentences or who committed white-collar crimes, according to Cevallos and criminal defense attorney Alan Ellis.

Ellis said the camps are "more laid-back" than low-security prisons, which have double-fenced security perimeters and a higher staff-to-inmate ratio, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Shah's request

At Shah's sentencing last month — where the judge handed down her term for running a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly people out of thousands of dollars — her lawyer requested that she serve her time at Federal Prison Camp Bryan , a Texas women’s camp with more than 500 inmates, about 100 miles northeast of Austin.

Shah's lawyers did not respond to questions this week about where she will serve.

Court documents show the judge recommended she be housed in a facility in the south-central region , which encompasses Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico and includes FPC Bryan and several minimum-security satellite camps, which are adjacent to higher-security camps. There are 65 satellite camps and seven standalone federal prison camps nationwide, according to a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson.

Inmates' locations are not available until after they are in custody, and their assigned facilities depend on several factors, including the level of security they require, their medical needs, proximity to their residences and where beds are available, the spokesperson said.

'Like having a sabbatical'

Life inside the camps is structured around work and programs, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

The handbook for FPC Bryan says inmates earn 12 cents to $1.15 an hour for their jobs, which include food service and factory work.

At satellite camps, inmates can have jobs inside the higher-security institutions or at off-site programs.

When they are not working, inmates at FPC Bryan can take classes in business skills, foreign language and other subjects, play sports, watch TV, do arts and crafts and attend religious services, the handbook says. They can also have visitors on weekends and holidays, in addition to video calls.

One of Ellis’ former clients who served time at a federal prison camp went so far as to compare it to “having a sabbatical” that gave him time to catch up on reading, Ellis said.

Shah plans to use her time away to tackle an unspecified substance abuse issue, her lawyer said at her sentencing last month.

According to Inner City Press , a New York-based investigative news agency, Priya Chaudhry told the judge that Shah wants to serve her sentence in a facility that offers a residential drug abuse program, also known as an RDAP, which the Bureau of Prisons describes as its "most intensive" substance abuse treatment program. It lasts nine months and takes up half of each day, while the other half is devoted to work, school or vocational activities, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

RDAP participants live in units separate from the general population. And if they successfully complete the program, they can earn up to a year off their sentences, according to the FPC Bryan handbook.

If Shah gains admission to the program, Cevallos said, “it’s fantastic."

“A year is a huge deal, especially if you’re in the federal system, where you really do your time,” he added.

The early release the program offers has also made it ripe for abuse, said Cevallos and Ellis, who pointed to the 2019 federal indictment of three Michigan residents who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud for coaching inmates about how to falsely claim substance use disorders to gain admission to an RDAP.

Samuel Copenhaver and Constance Moerland were each sentenced to one year in prison and three years of supervised release, court records show. Tony Tuan Pham was sentenced to six years in prison and three years' supervised release, according to the Justice Department .

The FPC Bryan handbook notes that applicants are screened to see whether there is documentation proving a history of substance abuse. If that proof exists, prospective participants interview with drug abuse program coordinators to determine whether they can meet the American Psychiatric Association's criteria for diagnosis of a substance use or dependence disorder.

When she pleaded guilty in July , Shah told the judge she had been treated two years earlier "for alcohol and depression," court documents show. Shah told the judge she was not hospitalized for the treatment.

"Jen Shah’s resolve to make her victims whole and to turn her life around is unyielding," her attorney told NBC News in a statement Thursday. "She is committed to serving her sentence with courage and purpose, fueled by her desire to make amends for the hurt she has caused and to help others in her new community.

"No obstacle will deter Jen from making the most of her time in prison and she’s determined to make restitution to those whose lives she has impacted." 

Shah could also earn up to 54 days a year off her sentence for good behavior, according to Bureau of Prisons policy. For Shah, that could shave more than 320 days off her sentence.

If she earns that time for good behavior and completes the RDAP, Shah could be released sometime in 2027.

Celebrities are no strangers to camps

If Shah winds up at FPC Bryan, she could be there with other high-profile inmates. The judge who sentenced Elizabeth Holmes in November for defrauding investors in her failed blood testing company, Theranos, recommended she serve her 11-year sentence at FPC Bryan, court documents show.

Todd and Julie Chrisley, who flaunted their opulent lifestyle and family drama on the long-running reality TV show "Chrisley Knows Best," began serving their sentences for bank fraud, tax evasions and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. at federal prison camps last month.

Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years at FPC Pensacola, a men's prison in Florida, while Julie Chrisley was sentenced to the satellite camp at Federal Medical Center Lexington in Kentucky, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson confirmed.

The couple's daughter, Savannah Chrisley, 25, said on her podcast that she is able to email with and visit her parents. She said her father is working in the camp chapel and her mother plays cards and attends church. 

Jerry Harris, a breakout star of the Netflix docuseries “Cheer,” is serving his 12-year prison sentence on federal charges involving child sexual abuse images at the medical facility at FMC Lexington, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said.

Following her 2014 fraud conviction , "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice served 11 months at Federal Correctional Institution Danbury in Connecticut, a low-security prison with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. After her release, she told Bravo's Andy Cohen that she was in the camp part of the facility that lacked cells, bars or fencing.

Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin spent 11 days and two months, respectively, at FCI Dublin, a low-security prison with an adjacent satellite camp 91 miles southwest of Sacramento, California, for their roles in the so-called Varsity Blues college admissions scheme .

Martha Stewart served a five-month sentence for insider trading at FPC Alderson in West Virginia in late 2004 and early 2005, spending her time teaching yoga, taking a pottery class , scrubbing floors and cleaning offices .

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Inside the Federal Prison in Texas Where Elizabeth Holmes Will Serve Her 11-Year-Sentence

Elizabeth Holmes, 39, is imprisoned at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas, a minimum-security prison

Digital News Writer, PEOPLE

MARK FELIX/AFP/Getty (2)

Elizabeth Holmes arrived at a federal prison in Texas last week to begin serving out her more than 11-year-sentence on multiple fraud convictions.

Holmes, the disgraced founder of blood company Theranos, was convicted in 2022 for duping investors out of millions of dollars in connection with her failed medical startup.

The 39-year-old mother of two will now spend the next several years at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas , a minimum-security prison typically for low-level offenders and white-collar criminals – a notable difference from her life as a Silicon Valley CEO.

The Brazos County facility located 100 miles outside of Houston in Southern Texas houses 650 female inmates and is where Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah is serving a 78-month prison stint for fraud charges .

According to Lynn Espejo, a former FPC Bryan inmate and now-criminal justice reform advocate, Holmes was likely to room with three other cellmates in a tight, concrete space,  FOX Business reported in May.

Citing a sketch from previous incarcerated individuals obtained by  The Wall Street Journal , prison cells at the camp are sparsely furnished, with bunk beds, a table, folding chairs and lockers.

Sergio Flores/Bloomberg/Getty

Per the prison handbook, inmates are responsible for keeping their space clean and sanitized by making their beds, sweeping and mopping their room floor and taking out the trash.

Espejo said Holmes will be assigned a “big sister” who will help her become acclimated to life in prison, according to FOX.

She will be able to communicate with loved ones via email, phone and video calls, per a monthly time allotment, the handbook states, and will be allowed familial visits.

On Sunday, five days after turning herself in, Holmes reunited with her hotel heir husband, Billy Evans, and parents, Noel and Christian Holmes, during a visit in which Holmes and Evans were spotted potentially breaking prison regulations, according to the Daily Mail .

In photos obtained by the outlet, Holmes appears to be holding Evans’ finger, a possible violation of prison policy that states, “a brief kiss, embrace and/or handshake are allowed only upon arrival and departure,” according to the prison handbook.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for  PEOPLE' s free True Crime newsletter  for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

During the seven-hour visit, the couple was captured walking through the prison yard and spending time together on a picnic table, the Daily Mail reports.

Holmes first rose to prominence in 2014 as the founder and CEO of Theranos, which tricked investors by falsely purporting that its technology could run hundreds of medical tests using just a few drops of blood.

She was tried on 11 counts of fraud. The jury found Holmes guilty of four of the charges — three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

She is currently appealing her convictions.

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What to know about the Texas prison where Elizabeth Holmes is serving her 11-year sentence

Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, center, is escorted by prison officials into a federal women’s prison camp on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Bryan, Texas. Holmes will spend the next 11 years serving her sentence for overseeing an infamous blood-testing hoax. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Dawn breaks at the Federal Prison Camp where Elizabeth Holmes, the former founder and CEO of Theranos, is expected to arrive to begin her 11 year sentence for fraud relating to the defunct company Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Bryan, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

FILE - Elizabeth Holmes, then the CEO of Theranos, speaks at the Fortune Global Forum on Nov. 2, 2015 in San Francisco. As Holmes prepares to report to prison next week, the criminal case that laid bare the blood-testing scam at the heart of her Theranos startup is entering its final phase.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Female inmates move between buildings at the Federal Prison Camp where Elizabeth Holmes, the former founder and CEO of Theranos, is expected to arrive to begin her 11 year sentence for fraud relating to the defunct company Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Bryan, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

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BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has reported to a federal prison in Texas — marking the start of her 11-year sentence for overseeing a notorious blood testing hoax.

Holmes, 39, was convicted of fraud last year for duping investors who contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in the failed Silicon Valley startup.

Holmes and Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Holmes’ former partner and fellow executive who is currently serving a nearly 13-year prison sentence , said Theranos had developed a device that could quickly scan for diseases and other medical conditions with a just few drops of blood. But the technology never worked as advertised — leading to the meteoric downfall of a company that once promised to revolutionize health care.

On Tuesday, Holmes entered a federal women’s prison camp in Bryan, Texas — a minimum-security facility where the federal judge who sentenced Holmes in November recommended she be incarcerated.

Here are some things to know about Federal Prison Camp Bryan and Holmes’ arrival at the facility.

WHY IS HOLMES BEING INCARCERATED IN BRYAN NOW?

Holmes reported to FPC Bryan on Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed. The arrival comes more than a year after a jury convicted Holmes on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy in January 2022. She was sentenced to 11 years in November.

Holmes had originally been ordered to begin her prison sentence on April 27, but won a reprieve with a last-minute legal maneuver that gave her more time with her two young children. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila set Holmes’ revised prison-reporting date for May 30 .

In a separate ruling, Davila also ordered that Holmes and Balwani pay a $452 million in restitution.

Attorneys representing Holmes did not immediately respond when contacted by The Associated Press for statement on Tuesday.

WHERE IS FEDERAL PRISON CAMP BRYAN?

FPC Bryan is located about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Houston. The facility encompasses about 37 acres (15 hectares) of land.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, FPC Bryan is one of a handful of “minimum security” facilities of its kind across the nation.

WHO ELSE IS HELD IN FPC BRYAN?

About 650 women are housed in FPC Bryan — including “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jennifer Shah , who was sentenced earlier this year to 6 1/2 years in prison for defrauding thousands of people in a yearslong telemarketing scam.

In addition to Shah, other recognizable figures who have served sentences at FPC Bryan in the past include former Enron executive Lea Fastow, participant in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack Jenna Ryan , and Michelle Janavs , heir to the Hot Pockets fortune and a former investment executive who participated in the college admissions scandal, according to The New York Times .

WHAT IS A MINIMUM-SECURITY PRISON LIKE?

Federal prison camps like FPC Bryan are minimum-security institutions. Most of those types of facilities don’t even have fences and hold inmates the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk.

The prison camps also often have minimal staffing and many of the people incarcerated there work at prison jobs. According to a 2016 FPC Bryan inmate handbook, those in the Texas facility who are eligible to work can earn between 12 cents and $1.15 per hour in their job assignments, which include food service roles and factory employment operated by Federal Prison Industries.

Federal prison camps were originally designed with low security to make operations easier and to allow inmates tasked with performing work at the prison to avoid repeatedly checking in and out of a main prison facility. But the lax security opened a gateway for contraband, such as drugs, cellphones and weapons. The limited security has also led to a number of escapes from prison camps.

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Federal Prison Camp, Bryan

1100 Ursuline Ave, Bryan , Texas 77803 USA

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The Federal Prison Camp, Bryan (FPC Bryan) is a minimum-security United States federal prison for female inmates in Texas. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. FPC Bryan is located 95 miles northwest of Houston and 165 miles south of Dallas.

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Hundreds of illegal workers held in camp near Moscow

The immigration camp hastily set up in the west of Moscow following large-scale inspections of the city’s markets looks more like a refugee camp. Source: ITAR-TASS

The Moscow police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations have been forced to open a pre-deportation camp for illegal immigrants, which is already almost full to capacity. Meanwhile, the Federal Migration Service is planning to create more than 80 new detention centers for illegal immigrants. Experts argue, however, that simply rounding up illegal aliens will not solve the immigration problem .

The immigration camp hastily set up in the west of Moscow following large-scale inspections of the city’s markets looks more like a refugee camp. Two hundred army canvas tents have been pitched on the pavement.

The detainees — mostly from Vietnam, but also some from Egypt, Syria and Afghanistan — sleep in bunk beds. Next to the tents is an endless wall of 100 portable toilets, followed by field kitchens where buckwheat and tinned meat are prepared. The whole operation is organized and run by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.  

Russia seeks skilled workers, tweaks migration laws

Representatives of the Embassy of Vietnam have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the “simply inhuman” living conditions in the camp, with 40 people being forced to share tents that are only 540 square feet in size. The main complaint among experts, however, is not so much the living conditions in the camp, but rather the fact that the camp itself is the result of questionable policy.   

Sergei Markov, director of the Institute for Political Research, has noted that the very fact the camp has been set up shows the government’s non-systemic policy on migration .

“The camp is a temporary measure; it is a quick-fix to a problem that has existed for years. What it does is expose the weakness and ineffectiveness of the government. Now it’s important to establish exactly what it is that we want. We need immigrants, but they need to be legal immigrants. We need to understand who is to blame for the fact that they are here illegally: the immigrants themselves, or the business structure that invited them over in the first place,” said Markov.     

Meanwhile, the Federal Migration Service has already prepared a bill that should solve the problem of illegal immigration. The document outlines the need to set up more than 80 centers in Russia for the detention of foreign nationals subject to deportation.

Authorities tighten grip on migration control

Possible negligence in preventing illegal immigration in Moscow being probed

Russia slips lower in human trafficking ranking

As Yevgeny Andreyev, researcher at the Higher School of Economics’ Institute of Demography, explained, it is not in Russia’s interests to combat immigration. The country needs to come up with ways to legalize their presence in the country, because it is through immigrant workers that the problem of the ageing population can be solved.

“According to Federal State Statistics Service estimates, we have around 700,000 people of retirement age in the country every year. That is a huge figure. And that number’s not going to get any smaller,” Andreyev said.

“The population continues to age, and that process presents new challenges, reducing, as it does, labor resources. This is a major global problem, and we can’t do anything about it. There are two areas that need to be developed — the infrastructure for retirees and a system for inviting foreign workers to Russia.”   

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

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Norilsk: The city built by gulag prisoners where Russia guards its Arctic secrets

Environmental activists are frustrated by how authorities handled a diesel spill which poured into two Arctic rivers in late May.

International correspondent @DiMagnaySky

Friday 3 July 2020 23:41, UK

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The drive from Norilsk airport to the city takes you past mile after mile of crumbling, Soviet-era factories.

It looks like an endless, rusting scrapyard - a jumble of pipes, industrial junk and frost-bitten brickwork. If you were looking for an industrial apocalypse film setting, this would be your place - but you're unlikely to get the permissions.

Norilsk was built in Stalin's times by gulag prisoners. This gritty industrial city is a testament to their endurance both of the cruelty of Stalin's regime and of the harsh polar climate. There were no thoughts then on how to build to protect the environment, just to survive it.

Vasily Ryabinin doesn't think much has changed, at least in ecological terms. He used to work for the local branch of the federal environmental watchdog, Rosprirodnadzor, but quit in June after exposing what he says was a failure to investigate properly the environmental impact of the gigantic diesel spill which poured into two Arctic rivers in late May.

At 21,000 tonnes, it was the largest industrial spill in the polar Arctic .

Despite the Kremlin declaring a federal emergency and sending a host of different agencies to participate in the clean-up, just last week Mr Ryabinin and activists from Greenpeace Russia found another area where technical water used in industrial processes was being pumped directly into the tundra from a nearby tailing pond. Russia's investigative committee has promised to investigate.

"The ecological situation here is so bad," Mr Ryabinin says.

"The latest constructions such as the tailing pond at the Talnack ore-processing plant were built exclusively by Nornickel chief executive Vladimir Potanin's team and supposedly in accordance with ecological standards, but on satellite images you can see that all the lakes in the vicinity have unnatural colours and obviously something has got into them."

Mining company Nornickel would disagree. It has admitted flagrant violations at the tailing pond and suspended staff it deems responsible at both the Talnack plant and at Norilsk Heat and Power plant no 3 where the diesel spill originated from.

On Thursday it appointed Andrey Bougrov, from its senior management board, to the newly-created role of senior vice president for environmental protection. It has a clear environmental strategy, provides regular updates on the status of the spill, and its Twitter feed is filled with climate-related alerts.

But what investors read is very different to the picture on the ground.

Norilsk used to be a closed city - one of dozens across the Soviet Union shut off to protect industrial secrets. Foreigners need special permissions approved by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to enter the region. It would take an invitation from Nornickel to make that happen and, for the past month since the spill, that has not been forthcoming.

Unlike in Soviet times, Russian citizens are now free to come and go. That's why our Sky News Moscow team were able to fly in and travel around the city, even if getting to the spill site was blocked. What they were able to film provides a snapshot of the immense challenge Russia faces in upgrading its Soviet-era industrial infrastructure, particularly at a time when climate change is melting the permafrost on which much of it was built.

Just downwind from one of the rusting factories on the city outskirts is a huge expanse of dead land. The skeletal remains of trees stand forlorn against the howling Arctic winds. Sulphur dioxide poisoning has snuffed the life out of all that lived here. Norilsk is the world's worst emitter of sulphur dioxide by a substantial margin.

"For 80km south of here everything is dead," Mr Ryabinin says, "and for at least 10km in that direction too. Everything here depends on the wind."

Immediately after the spill, Mr Ryabinin filmed and took samples from the Daldykan river just a few kilometres from the fuel tank which had leaked. By that point the river was a churning mix of diesel and red sludge dredged up from the riverbed by the force of the leak. Norilsk's rivers have turned red before and the chemical residues have sunk to the bottom, killing all life there. Nothing has lived in those rivers for decades.

In his capacity as deputy head of the local environmental watchdog, Mr Ryabinin says he insisted that he be allowed to fly further north to check the levels of contamination in Lake Pyasino and beyond.

Nornickel at the time claimed the lake was untouched by the spill. Mr Ryabinin says his boss encouraged him to let things be.

"I can't be sure I would have found anything, but this sort of confrontation - making sure I didn't go there with a camera, let alone with bottles for taking samples, it was all very clear to me. It was the final straw."

Rosprirodnadzor refused to comment to Sky News on Mr Ryabinin's allegations or suggestions that the agency was working hand in hand with Nornickel.

Georgy Kavanosyan is an environmental blogger with a healthy 37,000 following on YouTube. Shortly after the spill, he set out for Lake Pyasino and to the Pyasina River beyond to see how far the diesel had spread.

"We set out at night so that the Norilsk Nickel security wouldn't detect us. I say at night, but they've got polar nights there now, north of the Arctic Circle. So it's still light but it's quieter and we managed to go past all the cordons."

He is one of the few to have provided evidence that the diesel has in fact travelled far beyond where the company admits. Not just the 1,200km (745m) length of Lake Pyasino but into the river beyond.

He says his measurements indicated a volume of hydrocarbons dissolved in the water of between two and three times normal levels. He thinks after he published his findings on YouTube, the authorities' vigilance increased.

Greenpeace Russia have spent the last two weeks trying to obtain samples from Lake Pyasino and the surrounding area. They have faced difficulties getting around and flying their samples out for independent analysis.

They are now waiting for results from a laboratory in St Petersburg but say the samples remain valid technically for just four days after collection and that they weren't able to make that deadline due to the authorities' actively obstructing their work.

Elena Sakirko from Greenpeace Russia specialises in oil spills and says this has happened to her before. This time, a police helicopter flew to the hunter's hut where they were staying and confiscated the fuel for the boat they were using. Then a deputy for the Moscow city parliament tasked with bringing the samples back from Norilsk was forced to go back empty-handed.

"We were told at the airport we needed permission from the security department of Nornickel," Ms Sakirko says. "We asked them to show us some law or statement to prove that this was legal or what the basis for this was, but they haven't showed us anything and we still don't understand it."

Nornickel announced this week that the critical stage of the diesel spill is over. The company is now finalising dates for a press tour for foreign media and for other international environmentalists.

Mr Ryabinin thinks this should have happened weeks ago.

"If we don't let scientists come to the Arctic region to evaluate the impact of the accident, then in the future if anything similar happens, we won't know what to do."

A spokesperson for Nornickel said the company "is actively cooperating with the scientific community and will meticulously assess both the causes and effects of the accident."

Nornickel considers permafrost thawing to be the primary cause of the accident, but is waiting for the end of investigation before making a final statement, the spokesperson said.

They added that the company "accepts full responsibility for the incidents on its sites these past two months and holds itself accountable for any infrastructural deficits or poor decisions by personnel.

"The imperative is to do everything to clean up our sites, instil a stronger culture of transparency and safety in our workforce, and ensure that such situations do not occur in the future."