Canaan United States Penitentiary

Located in Waymart, part of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Canaan United States Penitentiary is a high security federal prison that holds up to 1,340 male offenders. The facility has an attached minimum security satellite camp that can hold an additional 160 offenders.  USP Canaan consists of 6 different housing units. The camp contains a Special Housing Unit for inmates who need to be placed in a disciplinary unit. This housing unit can hold up to 250 offenders. Cells are typically 13 feet by 7 feet.

Inmates are required to participate in either educational programs or work assignments. Work assignments vary, but such jobs include cooks, dishwashers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, orderlies, librarians, tutors, and clerks. USP Canaan encourages their inmates to participate programs that involve social interaction among other inmates and specialists. The Recreation Department organizes activities for inmates to be active both indoor and outdoor. Programs such as the Parenting Program and Electronic Law Library are provided to inmates by the Education Department. Other departments at Canaan include the Religious Services Department and Psychology Department. To encourage inmates to strive for self improvement, the facility has a Residential Drug Abuse Program and a Challenge Program. All programs work to benefit the mental health of USP Canaan's inmates. 

Visiting Hours at Canaan United States Penitentiary:

Canaan United States Penitentiary has different visiting hours for the penitentiary and the camp.

• Visiting at the penitentiary takes place on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays, Visiting hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
• At the camp, visiting is conducted on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays. Visiting hours will be from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
• Inmates are only allowed to have up to five visitors over the age of sixteen at once.
• Inmates receive 8 visiting points each month. At the camp, visitors will have two points deducted per visit, excluding federal holiday visits. At the USP Canaan, weekend visits will deduct two points and weekday visits will only deduct one point. Points are not deducted for visits on federal holidays.
• The USP visiting room can hold a maximum of 259 people and the FPC holds only 90 people. As the visiting room crowds, visits will be terminated based on how far a visitor traveled and how long they have been in the visiting room.
• Visitors may bring necessary medications with proper paperwork, photo identification, basic baby needs, a clear plastic bag (or wallet), and money into the facility.
• All other items are unauthorized.
• Visitors may not have more than $25 and should be used for refreshments/vending machine only.
• Visitors will be asked to keep other items in a visitor's locker or their car.

Physical Address:

Canaan United States Penitentiary
3057 Easton Turnpike
Waymart, Pennsylvania 18472

Telephone:

(570)-488-8000

Inmate Mailing Address:

For inmates staying at the Penitentiary:

Inmate Name, ID Number
Canaan United States Penitentiary
P.O. Box 300
Waymart, Pennsylvania 18472

For inmates staying at the Camp:

Inmate Name, ID Number
Canaan United States Penitentiary
P.O. Box 200
Waymart, Pennsylvania 18472