Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

Federal Prisons in the U.S.: How to Find an Inmate in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

When someone is convicted of a federal crime, everything changes for the family. The case moves to federal court, the sentence is served in a federal prison that may be hundreds of miles away, and the rules for calls, visits, mail and money are set by one national agency: the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The good news is that the BOP runs a single nationwide system, so once you know how it works, finding and staying in touch with someone is more predictable than in most state systems.

What is the Federal Bureau of Prisons?

The BOP is part of the U.S. Department of Justice. It holds people convicted of federal offenses such as drug trafficking, fraud, firearms crimes, bank robbery, immigration offenses and child exploitation, along with some people awaiting federal trial. At the end of 2023, the BOP had about 157,000 people under its jurisdiction, far fewer than the more than 1 million held in state prisons. Most live in more than 100 BOP institutions; others are in halfway houses (Residential Reentry Centers), on home confinement, or in contract beds.

Types of federal prisons

Federal prisons are grouped by security level, and the name of the facility usually tells you what kind it is:

• Federal Prison Camp (FPC) or satellite camp: minimum security, dormitory housing, often with no fence
• Federal Correctional Institution (FCI): low and medium security, the most common type
• United States Penitentiary (USP): high security, for people with violent histories or long sentences
• ADX Florence, Colorado: the country’s only federal “supermax,” for people considered the most dangerous
• Federal Medical Center (FMC): prisons with hospital-level care, including FMC Carswell in Texas for women
• MDC, MCC and FDC (detention centers): mostly hold people still awaiting trial or sentencing in big cities
• Federal Correctional Complex (FCC): several prisons of different security levels on one campus

What happens after a federal sentence?

A federal judge sentences the person, and the BOP’s Designation and Sentence Computation Center in Grand Prairie, Texas, decides which prison they go to based on security level, medical needs and other factors. The First Step Act of 2018 tells the BOP to try to place people within 500 driving miles of home, but that isn’t guaranteed. Some people are allowed to self-surrender on a set date. Others stay in a county jail under U.S. Marshals Service custody and are moved by the Marshals, which can take weeks and involve stops at transit centers along the way. During that time, the person may not appear at their final prison, so keep checking the locator.

How much of the sentence is actually served?

There is no parole for federal crimes committed after November 1, 1987. Instead, people can earn up to 54 days of “good conduct time” per year of their sentence, which means most serve about 85% of it. The First Step Act added earned time credits: eligible people earn 10 to 15 days of credit for every 30 days of approved programs. Up to 365 days of those credits can be applied to an earlier release, and additional credits can move someone to a halfway house or home confinement sooner. In 2025, BOP Director William K. Marshall III directed staff to expand home confinement for eligible people.

What’s changing in federal prisons

The BOP is under heavy strain. In July 2026, it announced it would close six institutions, including Big Spring FCI and Beaumont FCI Low in Texas, Petersburg FCI Low in Virginia, Taft FCI in California, the FMC Lexington camp in Kentucky and La Tuna in Texas, citing “extreme staffing challenges” and more than $4 billion in deferred maintenance. The BOP lost more than 1,400 employees in a single year, many to other federal agencies. FCI Dublin in California, a women’s prison, closed permanently in 2024 after a staff sexual abuse scandal. Closures can mean sudden transfers, so families should check the locator often.

How to find someone in federal prison

The BOP Inmate Locator at bop.gov covers everyone in federal custody since 1982. Search by name, or more reliably by the eight-digit federal register number (written like 12345-678). The results show the person’s current facility and projected release date. Write that register number down. You will need it for everything else:

• Visits: you must be on the inmate’s approved visiting list, which starts with the inmate sending you a visitor information form to complete and return.
• Phone calls: inmates call out to numbers on their approved list; you can’t call in.
• Email: the BOP’s TRULINCS system lets you exchange messages through CorrLinks once the inmate adds you.
• Money: deposits go to a single national account through MoneyGram, Western Union or the BOP’s mail-in lockbox, using the register number.
• Mail: address letters with the inmate’s full name, register number and the facility’s mailing address, and check the facility’s rules before sending photos or books.

If the person isn’t listed, they may still be in a county jail awaiting transfer, in state custody, or in immigration detention, which uses a separate ICE locator. Choose a facility below to find its address, visiting schedule and contact information.