Federal prisons in Kentucky at a glance
The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates 5 institutions in Kentucky, every one of them with a satellite camp, holding 6,752 people as of September 2026. All five are in the Bureau’s Mid-Atlantic Region, one of the Bureau’s six.
| Institution | Type and security | Holds | Population | Camp or satellite | City | Judicial district |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USP Big Sandy | U.S. Penitentiary · High | Men | 1,216 | Camp: 100 | Inez | Eastern District of Kentucky |
| USP McCreary | U.S. Penitentiary · High | Men | 1,329 | Camp: 117 | Pine Knot | Eastern District of Kentucky |
| FCI Manchester | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | Men | 1,045 | Camp: 235 | Manchester | Eastern District of Kentucky |
| FCI Ashland | Federal Correctional Institution · Low | Men | 1,159 | Camp: 289 | Ashland | Eastern District of Kentucky |
| FMC Lexington | Federal Medical Center · Administrative | Men and women | 1,064 | Camp: 198 | Lexington | Eastern District of Kentucky |
| Total | 5 institutions | 5,813 | 939 |
On this page
One camp has been announced for closure. The Bureau’s release of July 1, 2026 lists the institutions it “will close” and includes “Lexington FMC Satellite Camp”, the women’s camp at FMC Lexington. No closing date appears in it, staff there “will be transferred to other units onsite or nearby”, and the camp is still on the roster snapshot behind this page.
How many federal prisons are in Kentucky?
Five, on the Bureau of Prisons roster. Two are high-security penitentiaries, USP Big Sandy and USP McCreary; FCI Manchester is medium and FCI Ashland low; FMC Lexington is an administrative-security medical center. Every one of the five carries a satellite camp. Our guide to security levels explains the grades; every state is in the Bureau of Prisons directory.
What is each federal prison in Kentucky like?
In the table’s order.
USP Big Sandy
High security for men at Inez, in Martin County, with a satellite camp. The Bureau’s 2026 First Step Act programs guide names it one of sixteen federal prisons offering Pell-funded college coursework. It is not the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, which is a local jail. See USP Big Sandy.
USP McCreary
High security for men at Pine Knot, with a satellite camp. The Inspector General inspected it unannounced in June 2024, as one of six institutions in a review of Bureau food service, and found that “USP McCreary’s deficiencies were the most significant of all the institutions we inspected”. See USP McCreary.
FCI Manchester
Medium security for men in Clay County, in the coalfield hills of the southeast, with a satellite camp, dedicated in November 1992. In October 2015 it was one of five Bureau institutions the Public Health Service had designated “isolated hardship locations”, a status meant to draw its officers to hard-to-staff prisons. See FCI Manchester.
FCI Ashland
Low security for men in Boyd County, with a satellite camp, and open since 1940. Counted with its camp it holds more people than any other federal site in the state. The Residential Drug Abuse Program does not run here: in Kentucky it runs at USP Big Sandy and at FMC Lexington. See FCI Ashland.
FMC Lexington
An administrative-security medical center for men on Leestown Road, with a satellite camp that holds women, and the only one of the Bureau’s medical referral centers whose roster record covers both men and women. Its camp is the Kentucky facility named in the July 1, 2026 closure announcement. See FMC Lexington.
Which federal prisons in Kentucky hold women?
One, and only at its camp. FMC Lexington holds men in the medical center and women at the satellite camp beside it; its 2024 audit under the Prison Rape Elimination Act states that “Female inmates are housed at the Camp.” The other four institutions hold men only. See our guide to women’s federal prisons.
Which Bureau of Prisons regional office oversees Kentucky?
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, whose own address is at Annapolis Junction in Maryland. All five Kentucky institutions are in the Bureau’s Mid-Atlantic Region. A remedy goes to the Regional Director next: Program Statement 1330.18 provides at pp. 6–7 that “An inmate who is not satisfied with the Warden’s response may submit an Appeal on the appropriate form (BP-10) to the appropriate Regional Director within 20 calendar days of the date the Warden signed the response.” Before that comes filing a BP-9.
Which RRM office handles halfway-house placement from Kentucky?
One office for the whole state. Kentucky has two federal judicial districts, Eastern and Western, under 28 U.S.C. § 97, and the Bureau’s page for RRM Nashville prints both, alongside the three Tennessee districts. Neither district is claimed by a second office and neither is left out.
Placement still follows the district a person is released to. Program Statement 7310.04 at p. 12 tells the Warden to consider “contacting the Chief USPO in the release district.” Someone leaving USP Big Sandy for Louisville is an RRM Nashville matter. See federal halfway houses.
How do I find, write to, visit or send money to someone in a Kentucky federal prison?
The inmate locator is a national search, by name or register number, and a surname alone will not run. Kentucky’s two penitentiaries are about four hours apart by road, so “a federal penitentiary in Kentucky” is not enough to plan a visit around.
Mail takes the exact address block the institution publishes, and a camp does not always share the institution’s. Visiting runs on each institution’s own supplement, and at all five sites the camp’s rules differ. See writing to someone inside and visitation.
Money goes through national channels, not to the prison: the lockbox by mail, Western Union Quick Collect and MoneyGram. Program Statement 4500.13 states at p. 79 that “Ordinarily, funds sent to an inmate via the Western Union Quick Collect/MoneyGram Program are posted to the inmate’s account within two hours of the transfer, if it was initiated between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST.” See sending money.
Which federal prisons in Kentucky are closing or have closed?
No institution is closing; one camp is. The Bureau announced on July 1, 2026 that it will close the FMC Lexington satellite camp, citing “decades of deferred maintenance and extreme staffing challenges”. No date has been published and the camp still appears on the roster. No former Kentucky federal prison keeps a page on this site. See major federal prison closures.
How many federal prisons does the Bureau run in Kentucky?
Five institutions on the roster snapshot behind this page: two high-security penitentiaries, one medium-security prison, one low-security prison and one medical center. All five also carry a minimum-security satellite camp, which the Bureau counts inside that institution rather than separately.
What is the largest federal prison in Kentucky by population?
USP McCreary, at 1,329 people as of September 2026, is the largest Kentucky institution counted on its own. Counting a camp with its institution changes the answer: FCI Ashland and its satellite camp hold more between them. The two are separate rows in the population report.
Does Kentucky have a high-security federal penitentiary?
Two: USP Big Sandy at Inez in the east and USP McCreary at Pine Knot in the south. Both hold men and both have a satellite camp beside them. They are roughly four hours apart by road, so the name of the penitentiary matters.
Where are women held in federal custody in Kentucky?
Only at the satellite camp beside FMC Lexington, which that facility’s 2024 audit under the Prison Rape Elimination Act confirms in terms. The medical center itself holds men, and the other four institutions hold men only. That camp is the facility announced for closure on July 1, 2026.
Is any federal prison in Kentucky closing?
One camp, and no institution. The Bureau’s release of July 1, 2026 names the FMC Lexington satellite camp among the facilities it will close, citing deferred maintenance and staffing. No closing date has been published and the camp is still on the roster.
How do I look up a Kentucky federal prisoner?
Use the Bureau’s inmate locator, a national search by name or register number. A surname on its own will not run a search. The screen names the facility while the person is in custody; once a release date is recorded it shows that instead.
Which reentry office handles Kentucky halfway-house placement?
RRM Nashville, for the whole state. The Bureau’s page for that office prints both the Eastern and the Western District of Kentucky, along with the three Tennessee districts, so no Kentucky district is shared with another office or left without one.
Can someone ask to be designated to a Kentucky federal prison?
The Bureau makes the decision, although a request can be made and a sentencing judge can recommend a facility. Under 18 U.S.C. § 3621(b) a designation “is not reviewable by any court”, and the statute directs it to weigh bed availability, security designation and program needs.
How can a federal defense firm help a family with someone in a Kentucky federal prison?
Three problems recur here. Medical: FMC Lexington is a referral center, so care-level designations, delayed treatment and medical transfers are among the problems we work on inside. Movement: a camp announced for closure without a date is a transfer question for everyone in it. Conditions and programs: the McCreary inspection and the absence of residential drug treatment at Ashland are the record administrative remedy filings and early release work build on.
Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. is a federal criminal defense and post-conviction firm based in Columbia, South Carolina, practicing nationwide. Mentions of Kentucky places on this page do not imply an office or a lawyer there.
Call 843-620-1100 or contact us to arrange a paid one-hour consultation about a specific situation. Calls are answered 24 hours a day.
Sources and currency
Bureau of Prisons documents
- Our Locations, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- Population Statistics, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- Offices, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- USP Big Sandy, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- USP McCreary, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- FCI Manchester, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- FCI Ashland, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- FMC Lexington, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- RRM Nashville, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
- Administrative Remedy Program, Program Statement 1330.18, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2014.
- Community Corrections Center (CCC) Utilization and Transfer Procedure, Program Statement 7310.04, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 1998.
- Trust Fund/Deposit Fund Manual, Program Statement 4500.13, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
Audits and inspections
- Concurrent Inspections of BOP Food Service Operations, Report 25-062, Office of the Inspector General, 2025.
Court records and statutes
- 18 U.S.C. § 3621, Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
- 28 U.S.C. § 97, Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
News and other sources
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Announces Facility Closures and Operational Changes, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026.
Sources reviewed September 2026.
Reviewed for legal accuracy by Elizabeth Franklin-Best, Esq., Principal Attorney·September 2026