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.
In September, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff introduced legislation to overhaul federal prison oversight following an investigation into the prison
Colette Peters wants to change hiring practices to find candidates who want to “change hearts and minds”
J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao reported to the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday morning; authorities have not said which facility they will go to
“Freezing an already severely understaffed agency will lead to tragic consequences, we are tired of doing more with less,” a federal prison union president said
The suspect allegedly strangled one man to death and severely beat another inside the Federal Transfer Center
President calls on BOP, DOJ, FBI and DHS “to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders”
A federal corrections union leader calls out the dangerous staffing shortages, outdated tools and indifference from Washington that threaten lives behind the walls
The judge said the Bureau of Prisons must also continue to provide them with hormone therapy treatment for gender dysphoria
Some federal prison staff will see paychecks slashed by up to 25% as unions warn of “more turnover, burnout and instability” across BOP facilities
The court-approved agreement includes protections for transgender and non-citizen inmates, despite the Trump administration’s last-minute attempt to alter terms
The Federal Bureau of Prisons was directed to transfer inmate George John Hanson to be executed for his role in the 1999 kidnapping and killing of a 77-year-old woman
The Bureau of Prisons is seeking to temporarily move employees from its other facilities to help with immigrant detention
The Oklahoma attorney general requested the transfer after President Donald Trump directed the DOJ to ensure states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions
Acting Director William Lothrop vows to address staffing shortages and operational improvements
The latest release reduces the prison’s population to 15, the fewest since it opened in 2002
Trump said relatives of victims are angry that Biden spared the lives of some of the “worst killers in our country,” including inmates convicted of killing police and military officers
The Justice Department will pay an average of about $1.1 million to each of 103 women who sued the Bureau of Prisons over their treatment at FCI Dublin
As part of the settlement, the Bureau of Prisons “will issue a formal, public acknowledgment to victims of staff sexual abuse at FCI Dublin”
The Bureau of Prisons plans to deactivate six minimum-security facilities to address “significant challenges,” including staffing shortages and crumbling infrastructure
The Bureau of Prisons reforms include updating suicide prevention protocols and using data-driven strategies to reduce deaths in custody
A jury found Steve Bannon guilty in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress
The operation’s goal is to maintain a “safe environment for both our employees and the incarcerated individuals housed at MDC Brooklyn,” the BOP said
The former “Chrisley Knows Best” star was fired after prison officials at the Pensacola facility caught him “associating with inmates” in the Residential Drug Abuse Program
Combs, 54, was sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn — a place that’s been described as “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy”
The policy shift comes after a judge in August ruled he would vacate an elderly man’s sentence if he was sent to MDC Brooklyn, citing the jail’s “barbaric conditions”
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
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