...
By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced Wednesday that it will permanently close six federal prison facilities and make additional operational changes across its system, citing an "extreme" staffing crisis and a maintenance backlog that exceeds $4 billion.
The closures, which affect institutions in Texas, Kentucky, Virginia and California, are part of what BOP officials described as a broader effort to address decades of aging infrastructure and workforce shortages. The closures come even as Congress approved a major funding boost for the Bureau of Prisons through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In a message to staff at the time of the bill's passing, BOP Director William K. Marshall III said the legislation provided $5 billion for the agency, including $3 billion dedicated to staffing and training and $2 billion for infrastructure improvements.
A map created by Newsweek shows the affected facilities from Wednesday's announcement are concentrated in several states, including Texas, where three prison complexes are slated for closure or deactivation.
Read More on U.S.
“We are a Bureau that acts,” Marshall said in the announcement. “These actions are necessary to address longstanding infrastructure and staffing challenges while ensuring the Bureau remains focused on its core mission of operating safe, secure, and efficient correctional facilities. We will support our workforce throughout this transition and responsibly position the agency for the future."
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the BOP, by email for comment.
Prison Closures: What We Know
According to the BOP, the decision is part of a broader effort to address aging facilities, staffing shortages and operational inefficiencies that have strained the federal prison system for years.
The agency said the changes are intended to improve the long-term sustainability of prison operations while redirecting resources toward institutions better able to meet inmate population and staffing needs.
The announcement follows previous warnings from prison officials that critical staffing shortages and deteriorating infrastructure have become significant challenges across the federal correctional system.
Under the plan announced July 1, the BOP will close the following prisons:
- Beaumont FCI Low
- Big Spring FCI and its satellite camp
- La Tuna FCI and associated facilities
- Lexington FMC Satellite Camp
- Petersburg FCI Low
- Taft FCI
The bureau also announced that Morgantown FPC in West Virginia and Duluth FPC in Minnesota will be converted from minimum-security prison camps to Federal Satellite Low facilities.
The agency said some employees will be reassigned to nearby institutions, while reductions in force will occur at certain locations.
A satellite prison camp is the lowest-security type of federal correctional facility. Usually located alongside a larger prison complex, these camps house inmates considered low risk and often provide workers for prison operations, maintenance and other institutional programs. Unlike higher-security facilities, satellite camps generally feature dormitory housing and little or no perimeter fencing.
Beaumont FCI Low
This is a low-security federal prison in the eastern Texas district in Jefferson County. It has an adjacent minimum security satellite camp.
There are 2,165 total inmates at the prison, according to its website. Only men are housed at this prison.
Big Spring FCI and Satellite Camp
This prison is located in the northern Texas district in Howard County, with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp. Only men are housed here, and it has 617 inmates, according to the prison's website.
La Tuna FCI, FSL, and Satellite Camp
This prison has an adjacent satellite camp. It is located in West Texas in El Paso County. Only men are housed here, with the prison's inmate population at 712.
La Tuna FSL is non-operational, and the facility will be permanently closed.
Lexington FMC Satellite Camp
This satellite camp is located at Lexington FMC, an administrative security federal medical center. The prison houses 1,113 inmates, both men and women, with 232 inmates located at the satellite camp. The prison is in eastern Kentucky in Fayette County.
...
Federal Medical Centers, or FMCs, are specialized Bureau of Prisons facilities that provide medical and mental health care to inmates with significant health needs. The Lexington facility in Kentucky is one such center. Under the Bureau's July 1 restructuring plan, the agency is closing only the minimum-security satellite camp attached to the medical center, not the medical center itself.
Petersburg FCI Low
This prison is a low-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp. It is in eastern Virginia in Hopewell City County. The prison houses only men, with 611 total inmates, 152 of whom are at the camp.
Taft FCI
Taft FCI was a private prison located in Taft, Kern County, California, owned and operated by a private corporation under contract with the BOP, according to a website from the prison. The prison is non-operational and will be permanently closed.
What Happens Next
While the BOP announced the closure of six facilities, officials did not specify where inmates currently housed at those institutions would be moved. Federal prisoners are generally transferred to other BOP facilities when institutions are deactivated, though the agency's July 1 announcement did not provide facility-by-facility transfer plans.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Gray R. Thomas
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines