When FCI McDowell Opened and What 'Medium Security' Means at the Facility

FCI McDowell and its satellite camp started accepting inmates in the latter part of Fiscal Year 2010. The site includes a medium-security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) along with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, which is a setup the BOP uses at many locations.

In the BOP, “medium security” is part of a five-level system: minimum, low, medium, high, and administrative. Those labels aren’t just shorthand - they reflect how a facility is built and staffed. The BOP distinguishes levels by the type of inmate housing used inside the institution, what kind of external perimeter measures are present (things like patrols, towers, security barriers, or detection devices), the internal security features used within the facility, and the staff-to-inmate ratio. So when you hear “medium security,” think of it as a specific mix of housing design, perimeter controls, and staffing that sits between the lower-security settings (like camps) and higher-security institutions.

The satellite camp associated with complexes like FCI McDowell falls under the BOP’s minimum-security category, often called a Federal Prison Camp (FPC). Minimum-security camps typically use dormitory-style housing and have limited or no perimeter fencing. Many BOP institutions have a small minimum-security camp right next to the main facility; these satellite camps are commonly used to provide inmate labor to the main institution and to off-site work programs.

Concrete Differences

• ✓ Housing style - Minimum-security camps typically use dormitory housing; the BOP uses housing type as one of the key ways it distinguishes security levels.
• ✓ Perimeter controls - Minimum-security camps typically have limited or no perimeter fencing, while higher security levels are distinguished by perimeter features such as patrols, towers, security barriers, or detection devices.
• ✓ Security presence and staffing - Security levels are also distinguished by internal security features and the staff-to-inmate ratio, which tends to look different across levels.

1. Ask what type of housing they’re in - Minimum-security camps typically use dormitory housing, which can feel very different from other housing arrangements.
2. Talk through the “security level” in plain terms - Ask how perimeter measures and internal security features affect daily movement and routines, since those are part of how the BOP distinguishes levels.
3. Verify details with official BOP resources - Use BOP materials to confirm the current setup and any security-level definitions you’re unsure about.