The Federal Transfer Center (FTC) in Oklahoma City is located directly on the tarmac of Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This facility is primarily designed to house holdover inmates in transit to other facilities. The mission of the FTC is to confine, on a short-term basis, inmates who are being transported through the U.S. Marshal Service, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, U.S. Parole Commission, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons transportation system. Security of the offender is maintained in a controlled prison environment, safely and efficiently, with all due regard for the protection of the public, staff, and inmate population.
The inmates have no idea how long they are for. The movements are kept very secretive, and you don't know you're leaving until they are ready to take you. Depending on your inmate's situation, they could be there for hours, days, weeks or months.
The intake processing was efficient and orderly. Once you deplane, you are led through the long walkway that extends from the prison building to the tarmac where the plane pulls up and parks. The inmates walk single-file to Marshal stations that are set up on wooden platforms so they can orderly remove the shackles off your feet and wrists. Then, inmates are led to the area where they distribute their clothing and bed assignments. The pods where inmates are housed are organized and all-encompassing. The manner in which this prison is run is like no other. If I was giving them a grade, it would be an A+. The worst part is that there is no "outdoors", everything you would need is in your pod.
When I was there, I was being transferred from Memphis to Miami. I had no idea how long I was to remain there. When i got there, my phone privileges and Trulincs account were immediately in effect. Very shortly thereafter, the next morning in fact, after getting all settled in with my bunk and belongings, and i was "packed out and gone". I would add that the US Marshals were incredibly professional and kind to everyone I saw them deal with.
Interesting Facts: The Will Rogers World Airport was built especially to facilitate prisoner transport on JPATS. The US Marshal Service runs the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS), nicknamed "Con Air", is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with the transportation of persons in legal custody among prisons, detention centers, courthouses, and other locations. It is the largest prison transport network in the world.