Understanding Federal Prison Security Levels

A federal prison sentence does not come with a specific prison attached. The judge imposes the sentence, but the Federal Bureau of Prisons decides where the person serves it, and that decision is not random. The BOP classifies its institutions by security level and separately evaluates each person entering the system before designating them to a facility.

The result is that two people sentenced on the same day in the same courthouse can end up in very different places.

What Are Federal Prison Security Levels?

The BOP operates institutions at five general security levels:

• Minimum
• Low
• Medium
• High
• Administrative

What separates one level of federal prison from the next is the physical and operational design of the institution: how the perimeter is secured, the type of housing the facility uses, how many staff members it has relative to the population, and how closely people are supervised day-to-day.

Minimum-Security Federal Prisons

Minimum-security institutions are generally referred to as Federal Prison Camps, or FPCs. They are the least restrictive facilities in the federal system. Housing is dormitory-style rather than cell-based. There is limited perimeter fencing, and in some cases none at all. The staff-to-inmate ratio is relatively low compared with higher-security institutions.

FPCs are work- and program-oriented, and incarcerated people generally participate in institutional work assignments and available programming.

Some minimum-security camps are freestanding institutions, while others are attached to a larger federal facility and are called Satellite Prison Camps, or SCPs. These satellite camps typically supply labor to the main institution next door and to off-site work programs.

Camps house people the BOP has determined need the lowest level of security and supervision the system offers. That determination is made through the classification process, not by the nature of the offense alone.

Low-Security Federal Prisons

Low-security facilities are generally Federal Correctional Institutions, or FCIs. A low-security FCI typically has a double-fenced perimeter. Housing is mostly dormitory- or cubicle-style rather than primarily cell-based. There are more staff members relative to the population than at a camp, and the facility has work, education, and treatment programs that make up much of the daily routine.

Someone who does not qualify for a camp, whether because of the length of the sentence, the nature of the federal charges, or another factor in the classification process, may still qualify for a low-security institution.

Medium-Security Federal Prisons

Medium-security institutions are also FCIs, but the design and daily experience are considerably more restrictive than at a low-security facility.

Medium-security institutions feature stricter physical and operational controls, such as:

• A stronger perimeter, often with double fencing and electronic detection systems
• Cell-based housing rather than dormitory-style
• Tighter internal controls, including more locked doors and controlled movement between areas
• A higher staff-to-inmate ratio than at low-security institutions

Work and treatment programming are still a significant part of the routine, but they operate within a more controlled environment.

High-Security Federal Prisons

High-security institutions are commonly called United States Penitentiaries, or USPs. These are the most secure facilities in the general federal system, and they are built for people the BOP has determined require the greatest degree of supervision and security.

The perimeter is highly secured, with walls or reinforced fencing. Housing is in cells, both single-occupant and multiple-occupant. The staff-to-inmate ratio is higher than at other general security levels, and movement is closely restricted throughout the institution.

A person convicted of a violent felony offense is not automatically designated to a penitentiary. The BOP considers multiple factors when deciding where someone should be housed.

Administrative Federal Facilities

Administrative is the fifth security level, but it is not simply the step above high. It is a separate category for institutions with special missions, and people are housed in them because of what the facility does rather than because they have been classified as more dangerous than the population at a USP.

Administrative facilities may house:

• Pretrial detainees who have not been sentenced
• People with serious or chronic medical or mental-health conditions
• People in transit between institutions
• People whose detention, medical, transfer, or security needs require a specialized facility
• People the BOP has determined are extremely dangerous, violent, or escape-prone

Those missions correspond to different types of institutions. Metropolitan Correctional Centers (MCCs), Metropolitan Detention Centers (MDCs), and Federal Detention Centers (FDCs) often hold pretrial detainees and people awaiting court proceedings, sentencing, transfer, or other short-term placement.

Federal Medical Centers (FMCs) provide medical and psychiatric care for people whose needs cannot be met at a regular institution.

The Federal Transfer Center (FTC) in Oklahoma City is a hub for people being moved through the system. The Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, known as ADX, is an administrative maximum-security institution used to house people requiring exceptionally restrictive security.

With the exception of ADX, people from every security classification can be held at administrative facilities.

Call Perlman Defense Federal Criminal Lawyers for a Free Consultation With a Los Angeles Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Where a person serves a federal sentence can shape the entire experience of incarceration, from daily movement and housing to access to treatment and programming. The BOP makes the final designation decision, but defense counsel can address placement-related issues during sentencing, seek an appropriate judicial recommendation, and help ensure relevant information about a person's history and needs is accurately presented.

The presentence report, any recommendation the judge makes at sentencing, and information about a person's history, medical needs, and programming needs are among the materials the BOP may consider when making classification and designation decisions.

If you or a family member is facing federal sentencing in Los Angeles, California, Perlman Defense Federal Criminal Lawyers can help. Contact us today at (747) 373-0477 to schedule a free consultation with a Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorney and learn more about the federal designation process.