Low-security federal prisons, also known as Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs), house the largest percentage of the Bureau’s population. Low-security FCI’s have fences and electronic security systems, a higher staff-to-inmate ratio, and tighter control over inmate movement.

Due to the size of the Bureau’s low-security population, these facilities tend to be crowded. Inmates live in a dormitory or cubicle-style settings, though some low-security institutions have a limited number of cells. Low-security federal prisons are generally safe, but the number of “less serious” inmate assaults reported in 2017 was about five times higher than that reported in minimum-security institutions.

In order to be designated to a low-security facility, a federal inmate must have less than 20 years left to serve. Sex offenders and higher-risk inmates are housed at low-security facilities. Low-security prisoners may have a history of violence, but those caught fighting, drinking, using drugs, or committing other serious infractions are generally sent to medium-security prisons.

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