List of Federal Prisons by State and Security Level

The Federal Bureau of Prisons runs 122 institutions spread across roughly 30 states plus Puerto Rico, from minimum-security camps to the country’s only administrative-maximum penitentiary at ADX Florence, Colorado.1Federal Bureau of Prisons. Our Locations The list of federal prisons by state below shows what sits where, at what security level, and who each facility holds. Several states have no federal prison at all; those states still fall under a regional office for administrative purposes, but there is no BOP institution inside their borders.

How to Read a Federal Prison’s Name

Every federal facility ends in a short abbreviation that tells you what it is. Learn these once and the state list reads itself:2Federal Bureau of Prisons. About Our Facilities

  • USP — U.S. Penitentiary (high security)
  • FCI — Federal Correctional Institution (low or medium security)
  • FPC — Federal Prison Camp (minimum security)
  • FMC — Federal Medical Center
  • FDC — Federal Detention Center (pretrial and short-term)
  • MCC — Metropolitan Correctional Center (urban pretrial)
  • MDC — Metropolitan Detention Center (urban pretrial)
  • FTC — Federal Transfer Center
  • MCFP — Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (complex medical cases)
  • FCC — Federal Correctional Complex (multiple facilities on one site)
  • ADX — Administrative-Maximum U.S. Penitentiary

Security Levels at a Glance

The BOP sorts institutions by physical features, staffing, and the degree of control over inmate movement:3Federal Bureau of Prisons. Federal Prisons

  • Minimum — dormitory housing, little or no perimeter fencing, work- and program-focused. These are the camps.
  • Low — double-fenced perimeters, dormitory or cubicle housing, strong work and programming emphasis.
  • Medium — strengthened perimeters, mostly cell housing, tighter internal control.
  • High — walls or reinforced fences, cell housing, the highest staff-to-inmate ratio and close movement control. These are the USPs.
  • Administrative — special-mission facilities (pretrial, chronic medical, extreme security). They hold people at all security levels. ADX Florence is the exception, holding only the highest-security inmates in the federal system.

Federal Prisons by State

The count shifts as prisons open, close, or get reclassified. FCI Dublin in California, for example, was permanently closed in 2024. Verify any specific facility on the official BOP Locations page before you travel or send mail.4Federal Bureau of Prisons. Locations By Name

Alabama through Connecticut

Alabama: Aliceville FCI (low security, women) and Talladega FCI (medium security, men).

Arizona: Phoenix FCI, Safford FCI, and Tucson USP with an adjacent satellite camp. Tucson FCI also houses women.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Female Offenders

Arkansas: Forrest City FCC, with both low- and medium-security institutions on one site.

California: Atwater USP, Herlong FCI, Lompoc FCC (a USP and a camp), Los Angeles MDC, Mendota FCI, Terminal Island FCI, and Victorville FCC (multiple security levels). FCI Dublin closed in 2024.

Colorado: ADX Florence (the only administrative-maximum in the federal system), Florence FCC (including a high-security USP and a camp), and Englewood FCI.

Connecticut: Danbury FCI, which houses both men and women in separate units.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Female Offenders

Florida through Indiana

Florida: Coleman FCC (one of the largest federal complexes in the country, with multiple USPs and FCIs), Marianna FCI, Miami FDC, Pensacola FPC, and Tallahassee FCI. Marianna and Tallahassee both house women.

Georgia: Atlanta FCI and Jesup FCI.

Hawaii: Honolulu FDC, a pretrial and transfer facility that also holds women.

Illinois: Chicago MCC, Greenville FCI, Marion USP, Pekin FCI, and Thomson USP. Chicago MCC and Greenville FCI house women.

Indiana: Terre Haute FCC, whose high-security USP has historically been the site for federal executions, plus a camp.

Kansas through Missouri

Kansas: Leavenworth USP, operational since 1903 and one of the oldest federal prisons.

Kentucky: Ashland FCI, Lexington FMC (specialized medical care, houses women), and McCreary USP.

Louisiana: Oakdale FCC and Pollock FCC, each with multiple institutions at different security levels.

Maryland: Cumberland FCI.

Massachusetts: Devens FMC.

Michigan: Milan FCI.

Minnesota: Duluth FPC, Rochester FMC, Sandstone FCI, and Waseca FCI (a dedicated women’s facility).

Mississippi: Yazoo City FCC, with multiple security levels.

Missouri: Springfield MCFP, the BOP’s primary facility for inmates needing advanced medical and psychiatric care.

New Hampshire through Oregon

New Hampshire: Berlin FCI.

New Jersey: Fairton FCI and Fort Dix FCI, one of the largest low-security institutions in the federal system.

New York: New York MCC, Otisville FCI, and Ray Brook FCI. Brooklyn MDC also operates in the state and houses women among its pretrial population.

North Carolina: Butner FCC, a large complex with a USP, multiple medium-security FCIs, a low-security FCI, and an FMC known for extensive medical and mental health services.

Ohio: Elkton FCI.

Oklahoma: El Reno FCI and Oklahoma City FTC, the BOP’s primary transfer center between facilities. Oklahoma City FTC also holds women.

Oregon: Sheridan FCI.

Pennsylvania through Texas

Pennsylvania: Allenwood FCC (a USP, a medium FCI, and a low FCI), Lewisburg FCI, Loretto FCI, McKean FCI, Philadelphia FDC (houses women), and Schuylkill FCI.

Puerto Rico: Guaynabo MDC, which also houses women.

South Carolina: Bennettsville FCI, Edgefield FCI, Estill FCI (houses women), and Williamsburg FCI.

South Dakota: Yankton FPC.

Tennessee: Memphis FCI.

Texas: Bastrop FCI, Beaumont FCC (multiple security levels), Big Spring FCI, Bryan FPC, Carswell FMC (a major medical facility for women), Fort Worth FCI, Houston FDC, Seagoville FCI, and Texarkana FCI. Texas has the largest concentration of federal facilities of any state.

Virginia through Wisconsin

Virginia: Lee USP and Petersburg FCC (low- and medium-security institutions).

Washington: SeaTac FDC, near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, holding both male and female pretrial detainees.

West Virginia: Alderson FPC (a minimum-security camp for women), Beckley FCI, Gilmer FCI, Hazelton FCC, McDowell FCI, and Morgantown FPC.

Wisconsin: Oxford FCI.

Where Women Are Held

The BOP houses women across 29 facilities nationwide, but only a handful are exclusively for female offenders: Aliceville FCI in Alabama, Carswell FMC in Texas, Waseca FCI in Minnesota, Alderson FPC in West Virginia, Bryan FPC in Texas, and Tallahassee FCI in Florida. Most other women in federal custody live in separate housing units co-located with male institutions, or in administrative facilities like Brooklyn MDC, Houston FDC, and Honolulu FDC that hold pretrial populations.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Female Offenders

Carswell FMC in Fort Worth is the only federal medical center designated specifically for women. Women who need high-security placement have far fewer options than men, and the BOP sometimes houses them at administrative facilities rather than at a dedicated USP.

Medical Care Levels

Alongside security, every federal institution is assigned a medical care level from 1 to 4, and inmates are matched to a facility that can handle their health needs.6Federal Bureau of Prisons. Care Level Classification for Medical and Mental Health Conditions or Disabilities

  • Care Level 1 — generally healthy inmates under 70 with minimal needs; clinician visits every 6 to 12 months.
  • Care Level 2 — stable outpatients with chronic conditions needing evaluation at least every 6 months.
  • Care Level 3 — inmates needing frequent clinical contact; typically handled at FMC-designated facilities.
  • Care Level 4 — inmates needing round-the-clock nursing or acute inpatient treatment. Springfield MCFP in Missouri and Butner FMC in North Carolina are among the facilities that handle these cases.

Finding a Specific Person in Federal Custody

The BOP runs a free online Inmate Locator covering all current and formerly incarcerated federal inmates. Searching by number is faster and more reliable than by name. The system accepts several identifiers: the BOP Register Number (most common), DC Number, FBI Number, or INS Number. If you search by name, use the full legal name including any middle name or suffix.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Locator

Results show current facility, age, race, sex, and projected release date. Some location labels carry specific meanings you should know before drawing conclusions:8Federal Bureau of Prisons. About Federal Inmate Records

  • In Transit — the inmate has been moved from a BOP facility and may or may not return. For pretrial inmates, this can mean the U.S. Marshals picked them up and the court released them without notifying the BOP.
  • Released — no longer in BOP custody, though the person may be on supervised release or parole.
  • Regional Office — serving a concurrent sentence in a state prison.
  • Community Corrections Management (CCM) — living in a contracted halfway house, not at the CCM office.
  • Release Date “Unknown” — the sentence has not been finalized. The person may be pretrial, awaiting sentencing, or held on a civil commitment.

Before You Travel or Send Anything

Facility rosters and designations change. Prisons close, security levels get reclassified, and inmates transfer without notice. Confirm the current facility on the Inmate Locator, then confirm that the facility itself is still open and at the security level you expect on the BOP’s Locations page. Both tools are free, and both are more current than any printed list, including this one.