The least restrictive federal prisons are classified as minimum security and are also known as camps. While the Bureau operates some stand-alone Federal Prison Camps (FPCs), most minimum-security federal prisons are instead satellite camps. A satellite camp is located adjacent to a higher-security institution, and the campers provide services for the main institution.

Minimum-security federal prisons are different than higher-security prisons in many ways. Perhaps most significantly, there are often no barriers between the camp and the outside world. No fences, no walls — federal prisoners housed in camps can simply walk away if they choose. Due to the near-certainty of recapture and the wealth of negative consequences associated with an escape from federal prison, very few campers ever walk away.

Most minimum-security federal prisons house inmates in dormitory-style settings. Violence is nearly unheard of in federal prison camps. Across the Bureau, between 220 and 250 “less serious” assaults (i.e., fights) were reported each month in 2017. Less than 5 percent of those fights took place in a camp.

Only prisoners with the lowest security point total and a custody assignment of OUT will be housed in a minimum-security federal prison (see Chapter 3 for more information on security point calculation and custody assignments). Camp inmates are generally low-level, nonviolent offenders who do not have a significant history of institutional disciplinary violations or escape. Inmates with more than ten years remaining on their sentence will not be housed in a camp. Sex offenders and other inmates the Bureau considers high risk are prohibited from placement in a camp.

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