FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — On June 27, former reality TV star Josh Duggar, 34, was transferred to FCI Seagoville in Texas to begin serving his 151-month sentence following his December 2021 conviction on child pornography charges.

Duggar’s incarceration in the federal correctional institute comes with many different restrictions and rules attached. FCI Seagoville has a 59-page “Admissions & Orientation Information Handbook” for new inmates.

“Your strict compliance with the rules and regulations is an essential part of exhibiting the responsible behavior required at this institution,” states former Warden Eddy M. Mejia in the manual’s introduction. “We expect you to take the responsibility to fulfill your obligations and properly conduct yourself within this institution.”

Upon arrival, new inmates are processed by the Receiving and Discharge (R&D) Technician on duty, a medical staff member and a Counselor or Case Manager. All inmates designated to FCI Seagoville are also required to attend Admission and Orientation (A&O) lectures.

The manual explains that A&O is completed over the course of a week, with a mandatory schedule provided by the prison. There are 26 points addressed in the A&O process, including Sexual Abuse/Assault Prevention and Intervention, Safety and Sanitation and Telephone Regulations/Procedures.

After inmates receive a permanent building assignment, rules for maintaining quarters there are strict and detailed. Twenty bullet points in the handbook outline everything from daily floor mopping to precise bed-making technique to mandatory daily dusting of baseboards and pipes.

“All inmates will have a work assignment and are required to work,” the manual notes. Work assignments in various departments are made by a committee, based on institutional needs. Facilities, food service and a business office have different positions, and work is also available in Federal Prison Industries (FPI).

Some FPI work includes jobs in the facility’s textile factory. The manual notes that the starting pay for FPI positions is 23 cents per hour. There is a waiting list for these jobs and inmates are required to interview for the positions.

“Inmates are encouraged to save funds for their release from federal custody,” the manual states, adding that Unit Counselors can assist inmates in opening a savings account. 

Inmates are issued 300 minutes per month of phone time, and telephone usage is limited to 15 minutes per call, with limited hours of availability. The manual notes that “the unauthorized possession, manufacture, or introduction of electronic items, and components of electronic items, such as MP3 players, chargers, cell phones, and SIM cards, etc., constitutes a prohibited act under the inmate discipline system.”

Meals are served cafeteria-style in the Inmate Dining Room during specified hours. Inmates are allowed select personal items such as playing cards, books and stamps. Incoming mail is monitored and “screened for contraband according to Bureau of Prisons policy.”

Sexual assault prevention and suicide prevention programs are explained in-depth. Psychological services are also available to the inmates.

The Walsh Act, passed by Congress in 2006, “Requires all inmates with a history of sexual offenses be reviewed and evaluated prior to release.” Based on that evaluation, “Those who are at high risk of committing new sexual offenses will be subject to civil commitment after their current sentence expires.”

“Any inmate who chooses to act out sexually will be subject to disciplinary proceedings and when necessary special correctional management plans will be implemented to prevent sexual misconduct in the institution,” the manual states.

One page of the manual is dedicated to Sexual Assault Prevention, including a list of half a dozen “sexually abusive behaviors” for inmates to avoid. The prison also offers a chapel with “several part-time Chaplains and over 150 citizen volunteers representing many religious faith groups.”

Other institution amenities include a library, recreation activities and a parenting program “to promote and reinforce positive relationships, family values, and mutual support between inmates and their spouses and children.”

Visitors are allowed on a strict schedule and inmates utilize a monthly point system that limits how many visits they may have. All visitors must be on the inmate’s Approved Visitors List, they are subject to search and they must adhere to a detailed list of rules regarding conduct and behavior.

“Kissing, embracing, and handshaking are allowed only on arrival and departure,” the manual says.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not permit conjugal visits.

Duggar’s 151-month sentence will be followed by 20 years of supervised release with a host of special conditions attached. He maintains his innocence and on June 3 his defense team filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.