The Federal Bureau of Prisons incarcerates approximately 10,250 female federal inmates across 29 federal prisons. Although incarcerated women are a growing correctional population nationwide, women have comprised a steady proportion of the overall federal prison population for decades.
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Women in Prison
Female federal prisoners are housed in separate facilities from male offenders. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, they receive gender-specific care and programming.
To meet the unique needs of female offenders, the federal prison system employs staff at its women’s facilities who receive specialized training in trauma-informed care and gender-responsive practices.
To this end, BOP formed the Women and Special Populations Branch (WASPB) within the Reentry Services Division. This department is responsible for establishing and delivering services to meet the needs of imprisoned women. This division also provides national advice on classifying, managing, intervention programs, and practices for female federal inmates.
Programs and Services for Female Federal Prisoners
Women offenders housed in BOP facilities have access to the same programs and services as male offenders, including:
- Education
- Vocational Training
- Religious Services
- Psychological Counseling
- Leisure Activities
- Mental Health Treatment
In addition, women offenders have access to gender-responsive programming designed specifically for their needs. These programs include parenting classes, anger management courses, and substance abuse treatment.
List of Women’s Federal Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has 29 facilities for female prisoners. These include prisons at the minimum-, low-, and administrative-security levels. Additionally, the Bureau has two federal medical centers for women.
Below, we present lists of every female federal prison grouped by security level. Click on the prison name to read our comprehensive facility profile.
Minimum-Security Women’s Prisons
The BOP has 12 minimum-security federal prisons for women. Most female prisoners are housed in these federal prison camps and satellite prison camps.
- FPC Alderson (Alderson, WV)
- FCI Aliceville Camp (Aliceville, AL)
- FPC Bryan (Bryan, TX)
- FMC Carswell Camp (Fort Worth, TX)
- FCI Danbury Camp (Danbury, CT)
- FCI Dublin Camp (Dublin, CA)
- FCI Greenville Camp (Greenville, IL)
- FCI Marianna Camp (Marianna, FL)
- FCI Pekin Camp (Pekin, IL)
- FCI Phoenix Camp (Phoenix, AZ)
- FCI Tucson Camp (Tucson, AZ)
- FCI Victorville Medium Camp (Victorville, CA)
Low-Security Federal Prisons for Females
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has five low-security female federal prisons.
- FCI Aliceville (Aliceville, AL)
- FSL Danbury Low (Danbury, CT)
- FCI Dublin (Dublin, CA)
- FCI Tallahassee (Tallahassee, FL)
- FCI Waseca (Waseca, MN)
Medium-Security Federal Prisons for Women
Secure Female Facility Hazelton is the only medium-security federal prison for women. SFF Hazelton is in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. The facility houses approximately 500 female prisoners. It is the highest security regular prison for women.
Administrative-Security Female Federal Prisons
Administrative-security federal prisons have unique missions. They house inmates at all security levels and are often not intended for long-term confinement. The BOP has 12 administrative-security facilities for women, with all also housing male prisoners.
For example, Metropolitan Detention Centers, Metropolitan Correctional Centers, and Federal Detention Centers primarily house both male and female pretrial inmates. Following sentencing, these inmates are transferred to regular correctional facilities.
Likewise, Federal Transfer Center Oklahoma City houses male and female inmates en route to other federal prisons. As such, female inmates tend to remain at the facility for a limited period.
- MDC Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)
- MCC Chicago (Chicago, IL)
- MDC Guaynabo (Guaynabo, PR)
- FDC Honolulu (Honolulu, HI)
- FDC Houston (Houston, TX)
- MDC Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
- FDC Miami (Miami, FL)
- MCC New York (New York, NY)
- FTC Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK)
- FDC Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
- MCC San Diego (San Diego, CA)
- FDC SeaTac (Seattle, WA)
Federal Medical Centers for Female Inmates
The Bureau of Prisons has two Federal Medical Centers for women. Both are classified as administrative-security federal prisons.
FMC Carswell is located in Fort Worth, Texas. The prison is a medical and psychiatric referral center for female federal inmates. Only inmates requiring serious medical care are housed at this facility.
FMC Lexington is in Lexington, Kentucky. It is also a Federal Medical Center for women. This facility specializes in the treatment of female inmates with leukemia and lymphoma.
Your Federal Prisons Experts
Prison is never going to be fun or easy, but we hope that this information has helped give you a better understanding of what to expect if you are sentenced to a women’s prison.
If you have any questions that we haven’t answered here, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help in any way we can.
Published Apr 7, 2016 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Oct 23, 2024 at 1:32 pm