Leavenworth Federal Prison, officially the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Leavenworth, is a medium-security federal prison for men in Leavenworth, Kansas, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). It houses roughly 1,456 inmates in the main facility and another 175 in an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, for a total population of about 1,631 as of March 2026.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Population Statistics It is one of the oldest institutions in the federal system, though it is no longer the maximum-security penitentiary it was for most of its history.
Security Level and Population Today
FCI Leavenworth runs at medium security, with a minimum-security camp attached.2Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Leavenworth Medium security in the federal system means reinforced fences or walls, electronic detection systems, and a higher staff-to-inmate ratio than low-security institutions. Inmates move around the facility more freely than they would at a high-security penitentiary but face more restrictions than those at minimum-security camps. The adjacent camp holds inmates assessed as lower risk, often those close to their release dates.
The BOP downgraded the facility from maximum to medium security in 2005, and that is when the name changed from the United States Penitentiary (USP) Leavenworth to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Leavenworth. Anyone using old references to “USP Leavenworth” is describing the same physical prison under its former designation.
Leavenworth Federal Prison Is Not the Military Prison Next Door
This confusion trips up families and journalists constantly, so it is worth stating plainly. FCI Leavenworth is a civilian federal prison run by the BOP for people convicted of federal crimes in civilian courts. The United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB) at nearby Fort Leavenworth is a military prison run by the U.S. Army for service members convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Different chain of command, different inmate population, different rules for visitation, mail, and legal proceedings.
Leavenworth, Kansas, actually hosts several correctional facilities within a small area. Before you visit, mail anything, or deposit funds, confirm the full official name and address of the specific facility.
How Inmates Get Assigned to Leavenworth
Federal inmates do not pick their prison. The BOP’s Designation and Sentence Computation Center makes the call based on the security level the inmate needs, program requirements like substance abuse treatment or medical care, the sentencing court’s recommendations, and distance from the inmate’s home. A security point score maps to a facility security level, but staff can push someone higher or lower based on public safety concerns or other factors.3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification
An inmate can request a specific location, and the BOP tries to place people within 500 driving miles of their primary residence when possible. There is no guarantee. Someone with a medium-security score who lives in the region may end up at Leavenworth; someone with the same score from another part of the country probably will not.
Visiting an Inmate at FCI Leavenworth
Every prospective visitor must fill out a visiting questionnaire and pass a background check before the BOP will approve them.4U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons. Institution Supplement – Visiting Guidelines Visitors with prior criminal convictions may be denied unless they can produce written authorization from the appropriate probation or parole board. Friends (as opposed to family) must be able to show a prior relationship with the inmate.
Visitors 16 and older need government-issued photo identification: a driver’s license, state ID, military ID, or passport. School IDs, credit cards, birth certificates, and Social Security cards will not get you in. Children under 16 must come with a responsible adult. Everyone entering and everything they carry gets searched and X-rayed. The facility keeps a photo of each approved visitor on file.
At the main FCI, visiting hours run 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The satellite camp holds visits on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday during the same hours. Staff start clearing the visiting room at 2:45 p.m. Schedules do change, so check with the facility or the BOP website before you drive out.
Phone Calls, Messages, and Money
Inmates communicate with the outside world through phone calls, an internal electronic messaging system, and regular mail. Each has limits.
Phone Calls
Inmates get 300 minutes of phone time per calendar month, with any single call capped at 15 minutes. A warning tone plays about a minute before the call cuts off. The BOP typically adds an extra 100 minutes in November and December for the holidays. Unmonitored legal calls to attorneys do not count against the monthly cap.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Program Statement 5264.08, Inmate Telephone Regulations
Electronic Messaging (TRULINCS)
The BOP runs an internal messaging system called TRULINCS. It is not internet email. Inmates have no internet access. A community contact must accept an initial system-generated request before messages can flow, and by accepting, they agree to have every message monitored and retained by BOP staff. Attachments sent to inmates are automatically stripped. Inmates in the Special Housing Unit lose access, and the warden can restrict or revoke messaging privileges for any individual inmate.6Federal Bureau of Prisons. Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS)
Sending Money
You can deposit funds into an inmate’s commissary account through MoneyGram, Western Union, or the U.S. Postal Service. Electronic transfers through MoneyGram or Western Union usually post within two to four hours during business hours. Mailed deposits must be money orders, government checks, or cashier’s checks sent to a centralized BOP lockbox in Des Moines, Iowa. Personal checks and cash are not accepted. Non-government checks are held for 15 days before the funds become available, and foreign instruments for 45 days.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. Community Ties
The Building Itself
Leavenworth’s limestone fortress look is unmistakable. The perimeter wall stands 40 feet high, extends another 40 feet below ground to defeat tunneling, runs 3,030 feet in total length, and encloses nearly 23 acres.8City of Leavenworth. United States Federal Penitentiary The design combined elements of the Pennsylvania Radial plan and the Auburn system, producing a massive rectangular building with large cell blocks behind that wall. The first cell house opened in 1906, and construction of the full facility took over eleven years.9City of Leavenworth. Leavenworth History More recent construction has added over 700 precast concrete panels as part of ongoing modernization.
Notable Inmates in Its History
The National Archives holds more than 68,000 inmate case files from the facility.10National Archives. 68,937 and Counting: Searching Inmate Case Files from the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas A handful of names come up repeatedly:
- Robert Stroud, the so-called “Birdman of Alcatraz,” actually raised and studied canaries during roughly 30 years at Leavenworth, wrote two books on canary diseases there, and was transferred to Alcatraz in 1942, where he was not allowed to keep birds.
- George “Machine Gun” Kelly, convicted of kidnapping oil magnate Charles F. Urschel in 1933 and sentenced to life, died of a heart attack at Leavenworth on July 18, 1954.11Federal Bureau of Investigation. George “Machine Gun” Kelly
- Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, served time at Leavenworth after a 1913 Mann Act conviction and worked as an orderly during his incarceration.
- Polar explorer Frederick Cook, labor leader “Big Bill” Haywood, gambler Nicky Arnstein, and Native American activist Leonard Peltier all did time there.