Family communication toolkit

Contacting Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp

A step-by-step guide for families using the United Statesprison system. Everything below is aggregated from public sources; the prison's own official channels are linked where available.

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

Send mail to United States

Address block. Copy and paste into your envelope or shipping label.

Inmate Full Name & Register Number
Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay
Guantánamo Bay
Cuba (US naval base)
United States

This prison's specific mail rules

Detainee correspondence routed via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); no direct postal address.

Country-wide mail rules

· Federal (BOP): no cash, no checks, no books direct from sender — order via approved vendor.
· No polaroids, no stickers, no glitter, no perfume, no staples.
· Greetings cards allowed but inspected. White paper + plain envelope is safest.
· Confidential legal mail must be marked 'Special Mail — Open only in the presence of the inmate'.

Send money (USD ($))

Western Union QuickCollect — federal BOP
Code city: FBOP, State: DC. Receiver: inmate's first/last name and 8-digit register number.
JPay (most state prisons)
MoneyGram (NYC DOC, some county jails)
Access Corrections

Phone calls

· Inmates call you — you cannot call the prison and reach an inmate.
· Calls are pre-paid through an approved provider (Securus, GTL, ICSolutions, ViaPath).
· Most calls are monitored and recorded.
· Federal: 300 minutes/month standard; debit-call rate is usually cheaper than collect.

Visiting

Book a visit: BOP visitor list (BP-A0629)

First mail-in the BP-A0629 form, then visit only after the inmate's Unit Team approves you.

This prison's visiting rules

No family visits permitted. Periodic ICRC monitoring access. Legal visits via approved counsel arrangements.

Country-wide visiting rules

· Government-issued photo ID required (driver's license, passport).
· Dress code is strict: no shorts above the knee, no see-through, no underwire bras at many facilities, no all-tan/grey/khaki.
· Arrive 30–60 minutes before opening — counts and lockdowns can delay processing for hours.
· Most federal facilities: weekend visits only, two pre-approved visitors per session.

Send an email to an inmate

CorrLinks / TRULINCS (federal)
Inmate must invite you first; pay $0.05/min message time on their end.

First-visit checklist

Photo ID — current, unexpired
Approved-visitor confirmation (BOP) or visit confirmation email (state systems)
Coin purse with quarters for vending machines (no bills inside many facilities)
No phone, no smartwatch, no electronics — leave in your car
No tobacco, no chewing gum
Allow 2–3 hours total including travel and processing

Legal aid

Federal Public Defender finder

Helpful to know

· VINELink lets you confirm current custody and location across most US states.
· Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator is at bop.gov/mobile/find_inmate/.

Important

This toolkit aggregates publicly available guidance. Rules vary by facility and change over time — always confirm with the prison's official contact channels before sending mail, money, or attempting a visit.