Northeast Regional Office at a glance
The Northeast Regional Office oversees the Bureau of Prisons’ institutions in seven states, from Ohio to New Hampshire. It occupies the seventh floor of the U.S. Custom House on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, supervises 18 institutions that held 22,303 people in the September 10, 2026 population report, and sits under the Central Office in Washington, D.C. Regional appeals from those prisons are decided there.
| Official name | Northeast Regional Office |
|---|---|
| BOP code | NER |
| Street address | U.S. CUSTOM HOUSE, 7TH FLOOR, 200 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106 |
| Staff mail | STAFF NAME, NORTHEAST REGIONAL OFFICE, U.S. CUSTOM HOUSE, 7TH FLOOR, 200 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106 |
| Shipping | Identical to the street address in the Bureau’s records |
| Phone | 215-521-7301 |
| Fax | 215-597-1893 |
| FOIA requests | 215-521-7391 · NERO-FOIA-S@BOP.GOV (the Bureau’s FOIA page, September 2026) |
| States (as the Bureau prints them) | Connecticut · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New York · Maine · Massachusetts · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · Vermont |
| Institutions | 18 |
| Population | 22,303 (September 10, 2026) |
| Reentry offices | Four — RRM Cincinnati · RRM New York · RRM Philadelphia · RRM Pittsburgh |
| Reports to | Central Office, Washington, D.C. |
On this page
What does the Northeast Regional Office do?
It is an administrative office, not a place of confinement. The Bureau’s Offices page describes every region alike: “Six regional offices provide oversight and technical assistance to the facilities located in their respective region of the country. In addition to providing operational oversight, regional office staff conduct workshops, conferences, and specialized training programs for their region; assist state and local criminal justice agencies; and contract to provide offender placement in residential reentry centers.”
The Northeast is the first region the regulation names. 28 C.F.R. § 503.1 states: “The Bureau of Prisons consists of a Central Office, located at 320 First Street, NW., Washington, DC 20534, a Staff Training Center, and six Regional Offices (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, North Central, South Central, and Western).” Our regional offices page compares all six; above them sits the Central Office.
For someone inside, Philadelphia is the second rung of the grievance ladder. A formal complaint starts at the prison, a warden’s answer can be appealed here, and a decision from this office can be taken on to Washington. Appeals from discipline hearings start at this level too, because PS 1330.18 at p. 6 directs that “DHO appeals shall be submitted initially to the Regional Director for the region where the inmate is currently located.”
Which federal prisons does the Northeast Regional Office oversee?
Eighteen, in seven states, holding 22,303 people as the Bureau counted them on September 10, 2026. Pennsylvania alone has nine. The state hubs cover each one in detail: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
| Institution | Type and security | Population | Camp or satellite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | |||
| FCI Danbury | Federal Correctional Institution · Low | 1,104 | Camp: 120 |
| Massachusetts | |||
| FMC Devens | Federal Medical Center · Administrative | 1,072 | Camp: 114 |
| New Hampshire | |||
| FCI Berlin | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 823 | Camp: 66 |
| New Jersey | |||
| FCI Fairton | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 675 | Camp: 71 |
| FCI Fort Dix | Federal Correctional Institution · Low | 3,935 | Camp: 279 |
| New York | |||
| FCI Otisville | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 845 | Camp: 91 |
| FCI Ray Brook | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 843 | — |
| MDC Brooklyn | Metropolitan Detention Center · Administrative | 1,266 | — |
| Ohio | |||
| FCI Elkton | Federal Correctional Institution · Low | 1,626 | FSL: 473 |
| Pennsylvania | |||
| USP Allenwood | U.S. Penitentiary · High | 351 | — |
| USP Canaan | U.S. Penitentiary · High | 1,222 | Camp: 91 |
| FCI Allenwood Medium | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 1,070 | — |
| FCI Lewisburg | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 581 | Camp: 484 |
| FCI McKean | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 899 | Camp: 181 |
| FCI Schuylkill | Federal Correctional Institution · Medium | 987 | Camp: 275 |
| FCI Allenwood Low | Federal Correctional Institution · Low | 1,037 | — |
| FCI Loretto | Federal Correctional Institution · Low | 781 | — |
| FDC Philadelphia | Federal Detention Center · Administrative | 941 | — |
| Total | 18 institutions in 7 states | 20,058 | 2,245 |
FCC Allenwood accounts for three rows, USP Allenwood, FCI Allenwood Medium and FCI Allenwood Low, which share one complex. FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey is by some distance the region’s biggest, with 4,214 people across the institution and its camp. Three institutions house both men and women on the roster: FCI Danbury, MDC Brooklyn and FDC Philadelphia.
Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont are on the Bureau’s state list for this region and have no Bureau institution. The Offices page prints the ten states out of alphabetical order, with Maine and Massachusetts after New York, and the table at the top of this page repeats that order as printed. All three New England states without a prison have their districts printed under RRM New York.
Which RRM offices are in the Northeast Region?
Four reentry management offices belong to this region. Their printed districts, as read on September 18, 2026:
- RRM Cincinnati — Northern and Southern Ohio.
- RRM New York — the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Districts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
- RRM Philadelphia — Delaware, Eastern and Middle Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
- RRM Pittsburgh — Northern and Western New York, Western Pennsylvania, and Northern and Southern West Virginia.
Unlike some regions, the Northeast has no district that goes unprinted: every district holding one of its institutions appears under one of these four offices. New York State is divided between two of them, with the city districts under RRM New York and the upstate districts, including the one around FCI Ray Brook, under RRM Pittsburgh.
Two offices reach outside the region. RRM Philadelphia prints Delaware, a Mid-Atlantic state, and RRM Pittsburgh prints both West Virginia districts, whose prisons answer to the Mid-Atlantic office. Which office arranges a halfway-house bed turns on the release address, so a person leaving FCI McKean for Newark is a Philadelphia case. The full list of offices is in our RRM directory.
How do I appeal to the Northeast Regional Director (BP-10)?
If the warden’s answer falls short, the next filing is the BP-10, and from any Northeast institution it goes to Philadelphia. PS 1330.18 at p. 5 lists the form: “Regional Administrative Remedy Appeal, Form BP-10 (BP-230), is appropriate for submitting an appeal to the regional office.” At pp. 6–7 it sets the deadline: the appeal is submitted “on the appropriate form (BP-10) to the appropriate Regional Director within 20 calendar days of the date the Warden signed the response.” See our walkthrough of the BP-9 filing and the remedy program policy page.
A transfer can change the destination. Under PS 1330.18 at p. 7, “The appropriate regional office to process the Appeal is the regional office for the institution where the inmate is confined at the time of mailing the Appeal”, so a man moved from FCI Berlin to a southern prison before he mails the form sends it to the southern region’s office.
Twenty days are measured to arrival in Philadelphia, not to the mailbox. PS 1330.18 at p. 7 says the deadlines “have been made deliberately long to allow sufficient mail time.” Under 28 C.F.R. § 542.15(a), a valid reason for delay, of the kind listed in § 542.14(b), can extend the limit. The appeal carries one complete copy of the institution request and the warden’s response, 28 C.F.R. § 542.15(b)(1).
On timing, PS 1330.18 at p. 9 sets two lists two sentences apart. The response list gives the Regional Director “30 calendar days”; that is the number that applies here, with 20 for the warden and 40 for the General Counsel. The extension list then allows one extension of 30 days at the regional level, against 20 at each of the others, and the Bureau must give written notice of it. An appeal left unanswered past both periods may be treated as denied at this level.
A person who fears retaliation can start at this office instead of the prison. PS 1330.18 at p. 6: when “the inmate’s safety or well-being would be placed in danger if the Request became known at the institution, the inmate may submit the Request directly to the appropriate Regional Director.” The request must be marked sensitive and explain why it was not filed locally.
PS 1330.18 at p. 7 also notes: “In many cases, courts require a proper Appeal to the General Counsel before an inmate may pursue the complaint in court.” That appeal, the BP-11, is filed with the Central Office. For what can follow it, see our page on the § 2241 petition.
How do I contact the Northeast Regional Office?
The main line is 215-521-7301 and the fax is 215-597-1893. Its mailbox is NER-ExecAssistant-S@bop.gov. Staff correspondence goes to a named employee at the U.S. Custom House, 7th Floor, 200 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106.
Unlike the North Central office’s, this office’s three address records agree. Each prints “U.S. CUSTOM HOUSE, 7TH FLOOR” on the first line and the street on the second.
Philadelphia is not a mailing address for anyone in custody. Letters and deposits go to the institution itself, under that prison’s rules; our explainers on mail to a federal prisoner and sending money set them out.
What happened to MCC New York and the Lewisburg penitentiary?
The Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan was a Northeast institution and no longer operates. The Justice Department’s Inspector General wrote in its Capstone Review of the Bureau’s pandemic response (Report 23-054, March 2023), at n.1, that “In August 2021, the Department announced that it was closing MCC New York, at least temporarily, to assess steps to improve conditions at the facility.” The facility is absent from the Bureau’s roster as read in September 2026, and we found no announcement that it reopened. Our page on the former MCC New York keeps its history; for anyone once held there, the Bureau’s inmate locator shows where they are now.
Lewisburg is the region’s renamed prison. In a notice dated April 4, 2024, the Bureau wrote: “The facilities being renamed include six current USPs: Atlanta, Leavenworth, Lewisburg, Lompoc, Marion, and Yazoo City.” It explained that “The missions and security levels for these facilities had been previously changed but for a variety of reasons the names of the facilities were not.” Today’s roster lists FCI Lewisburg as a medium-security institution whose camp holds 484 of its 1,065 people, and its page on this site keeps the older penitentiary address.
None of the Northeast institutions appears in the Bureau’s July 1, 2026 closure announcement. Checked September 18, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many federal prisons does the Northeast Region have?
Eighteen, holding 22,303 people in the Bureau’s report of September 10, 2026. Nine are in Pennsylvania, three in New York, two in New Jersey, and one each in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Ohio. The largest is FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey; the only high-security penitentiaries are at Allenwood and Canaan.
Where does a BP-10 from FCI Danbury go?
To the Regional Director, Northeast Regional Office, U.S. Custom House, 7th Floor, 200 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106. Connecticut belongs to this region. The form must reach Philadelphia within 20 calendar days of the date the warden signed the response, so mailing it the day the answer arrives is the safer course.
How much time does the Northeast Regional Director have to answer an appeal?
Thirty calendar days once the appeal is logged as received, and one written extension of 30 more, under Program Statement 1330.18 at p. 9. If the full period passes without a reply, the person may treat the silence as a denial and appeal to the General Counsel at the Central Office.
Are Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island part of this region?
Yes. The Bureau lists all three among the Northeast Region’s ten states, although none of them has a federal prison. Their federal districts are printed under RRM New York, which arranges reentry placement for people released there, alongside the rest of New England and the two New York City districts.
Which reentry office covers Western Pennsylvania?
RRM Pittsburgh, which also prints Northern and Western New York and both West Virginia districts. Eastern and Middle Pennsylvania are printed under RRM Philadelphia instead. What decides the office is the district a person is released to, so the prison’s own location does not settle the question.
Can I mail a letter or money to someone at the regional office?
No. Nobody is held at the Custom House office. Mail and deposits go to the institution where the person is confined, following its own rules, and FDC Philadelphia is a separate facility with separate addresses. The regional office takes appeals, sensitive requests and correspondence for staff.
Where we can help
Much of our work here passes through Philadelphia: remedy appeals the region rejected or never answered, discipline appeals, moves between Northeast institutions, and compassionate release or early release requests a warden refused.
Discuss a Discipline or Custody Issue. You leave with an assessment of whether the Bureau followed its own policy, and what to file if it did not. A BP-9 is due 20 calendar days after the event it complains of. 28 C.F.R. § 542.14(a).
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.
Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. is a federal criminal defense and post-conviction firm based in Columbia, South Carolina, practicing nationwide. Mentions of Northeast Region places on this page do not imply an office or a lawyer there.
Sources and currency
Bureau of Prisons documents
- RO Northeast, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026. Contact records; read September 18, 2026.
- Offices, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026. Regional role and the state list in printed order.
- Our Locations, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026. The roster.
- Population Statistics, Federal Bureau of Prisons. The September 10, 2026 report.
- Administrative Remedy Program, Program Statement 1330.18, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2014. The form at p. 5; sensitive requests and DHO appeals at p. 6; the appeal at pp. 6–7; processing and mail time at p. 7; response and extension times at p. 9.
- Name Changes Approved for Seven FBOP Facilities, Federal Bureau of Prisons, April 4, 2024. Read September 18, 2026.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Announces Facility Closures and Operational Changes, Federal Bureau of Prisons, July 1, 2026.
- RRM pages: RRM Cincinnati, RRM New York, RRM Philadelphia and RRM Pittsburgh, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2026. Printed districts.
Oversight
- Capstone Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic, Report 23-054, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, March 2023. MCC New York at n.1.
Regulations
- 28 C.F.R. § 503.1, Structure of the Bureau of Prisons.
- 28 C.F.R. § 542.14, Initial filing; valid reasons for delay at (b).
- 28 C.F.R. § 542.15, Appeals; time limits at (a), form and copies at (b).
- 28 C.F.R. § 542.18, Response time.
Sources reviewed September 2026. Check anything you intend to rely on with the institution or the regional office first.
Reviewed for legal accuracy by Elizabeth Franklin-Best, Esq., Principal Attorney·September 2026