Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and house individuals convicted of federal crimes. As of May 8, 2025, 143,699 federal inmates were in BOP custody. This directory provides articles and resources on the structure, policies and daily operations of BOP facilities and the unique challenges federal prisons face. Understanding the federal prison system is essential for professionals working within or alongside these institutions. For related topics, explore our section on the Department of Justice.
The three men orchestrated violent crimes, including murders, from inside California prisons using contraband phones
Located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, the prison once known as “The Rock” still fascinates decades after its closure — and could see new life
Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall said engineering assessments are underway to revive the island prison
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm stated that Alabama’s daily cost to maintain inmates has risen 21% in four years
The inmate was sentenced to more than four years for his role in the 2018 fatal bludgeoning of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger at USP Hazelton
The judge’s decision comes from multiple incidents at the Metropolitan Detention Center, including a caught-on-video stabbing
The report found FCI Dublin’s leaders failed at nearly every turn to keep inmates safe and ensure that their claims of sexual abuse were investigated properly
The bill creates a federal prison ombudsman to collect complaints via a hotline and online form, then investigate and report dangerous conditions to the AG and Congress
Michigan DOC said the men, convicted in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, were transferred to federal prisons for “general safety concerns” for the facility and defendants
The Federal Prison Oversight Act establishes an independent ombudsman for the BOP to field and investigate complaints
Former Trump Administration Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was ordered to serve a four-month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena
The one-time advisor to former President Trump may serve up to 4 months at the low-security federal prison
“We have recruitment and retention incentives across the country. We have direct hire authority. The bottom line [...] we need to pay them more,” the BOP director said
Corrections officers pursued the suspect who fled from FCI Mendota, ultimately apprehending him when he became stuck in a muddy area
BOP to face trial over corrections officers’ abuse of incarcerated women at now-shuttered FCI Dublin
FCI Dublin inmates sued the prisons bureau last August alleging the agency had failed to root out sexual abuse
A BOP spokesperson categorized the closure of FCI Dublin as “temporary,” stating that no employees will lose their jobs as a result of the closure
Only “a small group” of women were still being held at FCI Dublin, with the majority of its 605 inmates having been sent to other federal facilities
The BOP stated that the bureau had “taken unprecedented steps and provided a tremendous amount of resources to address culture, recruitment and retention, aging infrastructure — and most critical — employee misconduct”
The judge ordered a special master to provide oversight as FCI Dublin attempts to reform itself from the ongoing rape scandals that started in 2021
The judge gave the order after learning an inmate at the prison appeared to have been placed in a special housing unit and then transferred to another prison, breaching the judge’s orders
The judge also ordered Arthur Lee Cofield Jr. to pay millions in restitution, including $11 million for the money he stole from billionaire movie producer Sidney Kimmel while inside the Georgia DOC’s Special Management Unit
A deputy captain in charge of enforcing policies at FCI Dublin emphasized the prison is now in better shape — recounting increased policy training, as well as twice as many cameras at the facility
SeaTac federal detention center has 53 officers available to oversee 800 inmates
BOP’s regional office announced the 25% retention pay employees have received since early 2022 will be discontinued at the end of the year
One union called the potential action a “slap in the face for the heroes who put their lives on the line every day”
One union called the potential action a “slap in the face for the heroes who put their lives on the line every day”
Federal authorities seek witness, victim reports of physical assault and employee misconduct at West Virginia correctional complex
Emma Coronel Aispuro served a 3-year sentence for money laundering and helping El Chapo’s 2015 tunnel escape from prison in Mexico
There is bi-partisan agreement that the BoP “needs significantly more funding” for staffing and addressing a $2 billion maintenance backlog
Union president for COs jokes that “everything runs off duct tape and band-aids” in the understaffed prison with failing infrastructure
Thomson Federal Prison has been placed on a lockdown since Aug. 1 after an inmate assaulted a staff member
The increase is primarily driven by significant growth in local jail populations, as efforts to reduce incarceration due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been reversed
Both the CO and nurse were charged with violating the man’s civil rights “by showing deliberate indifference to serious medical needs, resulting in his death”