Yes, Leavenworth prison is still open. The federal facility in Leavenworth, Kansas, continues to operate under the Bureau of Prisons, though it was renamed in 2024 from USP Leavenworth to FCI Leavenworth to reflect its medium-security classification.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Name Changes Approved for Seven FBOP Facilities It holds roughly 1,557 male inmates between the main institution and an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Leavenworth
Why the Name Changed
Leavenworth opened in July 1895 and spent most of the twentieth century operating as a maximum-security United States Penitentiary, which is where its fearsome reputation came from.3National Archives. 68937 and Counting In 2005, the Bureau of Prisons reclassified it from maximum to medium security to match changes in its inmate population.4Visit Leavenworth. United States Federal Penitentiary
The old “USP” label stayed on the books for almost two more decades, which fed the recurring assumption that the prison had closed or been replaced. In February 2024, the BOP formally approved renaming it from USP Leavenworth to FCI Leavenworth (Federal Correctional Institution) so the name would match the actual security level. Six other facilities around the country were renamed at the same time.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Name Changes Approved for Seven FBOP Facilities The physical signage on the building may still show the old name until a state historical survey is completed.
What FCI Leavenworth Is Today
FCI Leavenworth is a medium-security federal correctional institution for men, with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. The main facility currently holds about 1,386 inmates and the camp about 171. It is located at 1300 Metropolitan Avenue in Leavenworth, Kansas. The main phone number is 913-682-8700, and mail to inmates goes to P.O. Box 1000, Leavenworth, KS 66048.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Leavenworth
The Other Leavenworth Prisons People Confuse It With
Part of the reason people wonder whether Leavenworth is still open is that several separate correctional facilities cluster in and around the city. Each has a different operator and a different population.
United States Disciplinary Barracks
The USDB is a military prison on Fort Leavenworth and the Department of Defense’s only maximum-security correctional facility. Rebuilt in 2002 as a 515-bed facility, it confines male service members convicted at courts-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.5Visit Leavenworth Kansas. United States Disciplinary Barracks It is run by the Army, not the Bureau of Prisons, and is entirely separate from FCI Leavenworth.
Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility
Also on Fort Leavenworth, the JRCF handles military prisoners sentenced to shorter terms of confinement, generally up to ten years, along with pretrial confinement.6U.S. Army Fort Leavenworth. Army Corrections Command
Lansing Correctional Facility
Lansing Correctional Facility is a Kansas state prison in the neighboring town of Lansing, run by the Kansas Department of Corrections. It is the state’s largest adult felony institution, with maximum, medium, and minimum custody units and a total bed capacity of about 2,420.7Kansas Division of the Budget. Lansing Correctional Facility FY 2025 Budget Narrative Because Lansing sits just a few miles away, the two are often mixed up.
Leavenworth Detention Center
The Leavenworth Detention Center is a separate, privately operated facility run by CoreCivic. It housed pretrial detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service and was the first maximum-security private federal prison in the country when it opened roughly three decades ago. CoreCivic stopped housing detainees there in 2021 after the Biden administration moved to reduce reliance on private prisons, and the building sat empty for several years. In early 2026, the Leavenworth City Commission voted to approve a special use permit allowing CoreCivic to reopen the facility to house immigration detainees, with conditions including minimum staffing levels and a ban on housing minors.
The Short Answer
If someone tells you Leavenworth “closed,” they are almost certainly thinking of the old maximum-security penitentiary, the private detention center’s 2021 shutdown, or the recent name change. The federal prison itself is open, active, and holding roughly 1,557 inmates under its current name, FCI Leavenworth.