Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) – Terminal Island

Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) – Terminal Island's comprehensive information to help guide you through the federal prison process, specifically on how to remain connected to your inmate while they are incarcerated.

The FCI-Terminal-Island is a federal prison located at 1299 Seaside Ave in San Pedro, CA. This federal low security prison is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to hold inmates who have been convicted to and sentenced for a federal crime through the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

Locate all federal inmates here. If you would like to speak with a case manager or counselor, call 310-831-8961.

The Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island (FCI Terminal Island) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in California. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. FCI Terminal Island is located at the entrance to Los Angeles Harbor, between San Pedro and Long Beach.

The prison was opened at the southern end of Terminal Island, adjacent to a Coast Guard base, on June 1, 1938, with 610 male, and 40 female prisoners. It consisted of a central quadrangle surrounded by three cell blocks and cost $2 million to construct. In 1942, the U.S. Navy took control of the prison for use as a receiving station and later as a barracks for court-martialed prisoners. The facility was deactivated by the Navy in 1950 and later turned over to the state of California for use as a medical and psychiatric institution.

All inmates are expected to maintain a regular job assignment unless medically exempted. Many job assignments are controlled through a performance pay system, which provides monetary payment for work. UNICOR has a separate pay scale. Institutional maintenance jobs are usually the first assignment one will receive. These might include assignments to Food Service, as a unit orderly, or in a maintenance shop. However, a significant number of inmate jobs are available in the Federal Prison Industries. There is a waiting list for factory employment.

UNICOR employs and trains inmates through the operation of, and earnings from, the metal factory that produces high-quality metal products for the Federal government. One must obtain a GED for grade advancement and must participate in the Financial Responsibility Program (if required) to be employed in UNICOR. Federal Prison Industries, a U.S. government employment program, has a shop at FCI Terminal Island that specializes in repairing, refurbishing, and reconditioning furniture, office equipment, tires, and other government property.

The state returned control to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in 1955 for conversion into a low-to-medium security federal prison. The prison was coed, with female prisoners housed separately, until 1977, when overcrowding led to the transfer of the women to the federal prison in Pleasanton. The prison was given increased barbed wire and armed guards in the early 1980s in an effort to dispel the facility's "Club Fed" image. A corruption scandal rocked the prison in the early 1980s, resulting in the indictment of six employees on charges of bribes, cover-ups, marijuana sales to inmates, and other corruption. Those indicted included Charles DeSordi, the prison's chief investigator of crimes, the highest-ranking federal prison official ever to be indicted.

Notable inmates at FCI Terminal Island include Al Capone who was convicted of tax evasion prior to his transfer to Alcatraz; Charles Manson was held at FCI Terminal Island from 1956 to 1958 for car theft and check fraud before catching a life sentence at Corcoran State Prison; Goodfellas movie character Henry Hill, portrayed by Ray Liotta and was a former Lucchese Family associate; Salvatore Bonanno served as the Consigliere for the Bonanno crime family in New York City in the 1960s and son of former boss Joseph Bonanno; Michael Riconosciuto is a computer expert who was convicted in 1992 of conspiracy to produce and distribute methamphetamine; Timothy Leary a Harvard professor and LSD guru, convicted in 1970 of a prior prison escape and marijuana possession; Brian O'Dea who was a major drug trafficker in Canada and author of the book High: Confessions of a Pot Smuggler; and Liz Renay the girlfriend of mobster Mickey Cohen was convicted of perjury in 1959 and served 27 months.

Housing: Inmates are housed in various housing structures ranging from dormitories to one and two-person cells.

Health Services: On-site emergency medical care, sick call, dental call, and medication are all provided at FCI Terminal Island. Emergency care is available 24 hours a day.

Psychology Services: FCI Terminal Island offers screening, assessment, and treatment of mental health and drug abuse problems, individual and group counseling, psycho-educational classes, self-help and supportive services, and referral to Health Services for medical treatment of mental illness. Notices of upcoming treatment programs are posted in inmate housing units. Inmates must submit a cop-out requesting program placement.

Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP): FCI Terminal Island houses a Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). The facility also provides drug education classes and a Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP).

Education Services: FCI Terminal Island offers literacy, GED, and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) programs to inmates. Incentive awards are provided to recognize inmates making satisfactory progress and successfully completing the literacy (i.e., GED and ESL) program. 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. A parenting program and Adult Continuing Education (ACE) classes are also available. High school diplomas and post-secondary programs are available through paid correspondence programs.

Advanced Occupational Education: FCI Terminal Island offers advanced occupational education in Carpentry, CFC, Electrical Home Wiring, Home Inspection, Plumbing, and Welding.

Apprenticeship: FCI Terminal Island offers apprenticeships in Baking, Cooking, AutoCAD, Cabinet Making, Dental Assistant, Electrical, Electrostatic Powder Paint Machine, Engraver, HVAC, Industrial Truck Mechanic, Machine Setter, Maintenance Repairer, Material Coordinator, Pipefitter, Plumbing, Production Planner-Shipping Clerk, Quality Control, Stationary Engineer, and Tool and Die (Machinist).

Library Services: Leisure libraries offer inmates a variety of reading materials, including periodicals, newspapers, fiction, nonfiction, and reference books. The TRULINCS Electronic Law Library allows inmates to access to legal materials and an opportunity to prepare legal documents. Typewriters and a copy machine are also available for inmate use.

UNICOR: The FCI Terminal Island UNICOR facility produces office furniture and industrial products.

Commissary: 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 in another manner. The spending limit is $360.00 per month. Inmates may only shop on their designated shopping day each week.

Recreation Services: FCI Terminal Island provides a variety of leisure, wellness, and social programs to inmates. Leisure activities include organized and informal games, sports, physical fitness, table games, hobby crafts, music programs, intramural activities, social and cultural organizations, and movies. Art activities include paintings and sketches rendered in any of the usual media (e.g., oils, pastels, crayons, pencils, inks, and charcoal). Hobbycraft activities include ceramics, leatherwork, models, clay, mosaics, crochet, knitting, sculptures, woodworking, and lapidary. Wellness programs include screening, assessments, goal setting, fitness/nutrition prescriptions, and counseling.

Important links

Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) – Terminal Island Low – Admission & Orientation Handbook
Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) – Terminal Island Low – Commissary List
Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) – Terminal Island Low – Inmate Legal Services

visitation Info

Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) – Terminal Island Low – Visiting Hours

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