FCI El Reno (minimum-security camp)
Notes from Alumni
The following people have spoken about their time at FCI El Reno (minimum-security camp) on the Nightmare Success podcast, hosted by Brent Cassity (himself formerly incarcerated in the federal system):
- Bill Livolsi: Would You Go to Prison for Your Spouse? (Nightmare Success podcast)
Please remember that experiences are unique and may not reflect today's experience.
Location
Physical location: EL RENO, OK 73036
Mailing address: 4205 HIGHWAY 66 WEST, EL RENO, OK 73036
Visitation
There are many specific rules and procedures to be aware of when you're considering visiting the institution. Read more on our Visitation Guide.
For full, current visiting rules and scheduling, always check the institution's official page on the Bureau of Prisons website: Official BOP Page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does FCI El Reno allow conjugal visits?
No. FCI El Reno does not allow conjugal visits. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not permit conjugal visits at any facility regardless of security level. This includes all minimum-security federal prison camps, low-security FCIs, medium-security facilities, and high-security USPs. Only four state prison systems (California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington) allow conjugal visits for state prisoners. Federal inmates have no access to conjugal or extended family visits anywhere in the BOP system.
Q: What types of visitation are allowed at FCI El Reno?
FCI El Reno allows contact visits during designated visiting hours, typically on weekends and holidays. Contact visits permit brief embraces at the start and end of visits, but prolonged physical contact is not allowed. All visits occur in supervised visiting rooms. Visitors must be pre-approved through a background check process and must follow dress code requirements. For full details, see the Visiting Policies and Procedures page.
Daily life and programs
The Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) El Reno is a Bureau of Prisons complex about 30 miles west of Oklahoma City, in Canadian County, Oklahoma. The main institution is medium security and holds roughly 950 to 1,000 men, but adjacent to it sits a separate minimum-security satellite prison camp for lower-risk male offenders, established in 1980. The camp is a distinct facility from the medium FCI: it has no perimeter walls or fences, reflecting the low flight risk and non-violent classification of the men held there. Population figures vary by year and source, running from around 140 (reported September 2023) up to the 260 to 280 range in other counts. Camp inmates are typically sentenced men who are not considered a danger to the public and who are within a lower custody scoring band than those in the main institution.
Departing from a cellular format, housing at the camp is dormitory-style. The men live in a single housing unit split into wings of small two- and four-person cubicles, which presents a sharp contrast to the double- and triple-bunked cells of the medium-security FCI next door. Because the camp is unfenced and staffing is light, daily life centers on work and movement rather than lockdown. Providing labor to support the larger complex and its grounds constitutes a primary function of the camp population. Additionally, El Reno is notable for operating one of only two remaining working farm operations left in the entire federal Bureau of Prisons, serving as a holdover from the facility's agricultural origins. Visiting days at the camp mirror the main institution, occurring on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays from roughly 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., but the camp's smaller visiting room caps attendance at a lower number of people.
Programming at the El Reno camp emphasizes vocational and reentry preparation appropriate for short-timers and men nearing release. Documented offerings include adult education, literacy instruction, and GED coursework, alongside a Dental Assistant apprenticeship and vocational training in Diesel Mechanics/Repair and Horticulture. Furthermore, drug programming available across the complex encompasses the Drug Abuse Education course, the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP), and the residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). These options are particularly significant to camp-eligible inmates because RDAP completion can carry sentence-reduction and early-release incentives. Finally, food service, work details, and farm and grounds maintenance serve to round out the daily structure.
The broader FCI El Reno complex opened April 4, 1933, originally operating as the United States Southwestern Reformatory. In 1938, it was renamed the Federal Reformatory, El Reno, Oklahoma. The facility initially housed young adult offenders (ages 18 to 26) before shifting its focus to a general medium-security adult population in the late 1970s. The most widely reported event in the facility's modern history is President Barack Obama's visit on July 16, 2015, which marked the first time a sitting U.S. president toured a federal prison as part of a criminal-justice-reform push. That visit was restricted to the main medium-security institution, not the minimum-security camp. Consequently, care should be taken not to attribute the medium institution's higher-profile inmates or headlines to the camp, which is a separate, unfenced, minimum-custody facility.
Notable inmates
| Name | Sentence | Offense | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Brewster | 21 years (additional time added for the escape) | Possession with intent to distribute cocaine; later escape from custody | Escaped the minimum-security camp Dec 19, 2004; recaptured ~3 weeks later |