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How FCI Oxford Was Designated: Understanding the Bureau’s Facility Assignment Process

Wondering why someone ended up at FCI Oxford? It starts with understanding who makes federal prison placements—and what information they use.

• 3 min read • bop.gov
How FCI Oxford Was Designated: Understanding the Bureau’s Facility Assignment Process

The Bureau of Prisons' Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) decides where people go in the federal system. Based in Grand Prairie, Texas, the DSCC handles two things that directly affect families: designating inmates to facilities throughout the federal prison system - including FCI Oxford - and calculating sentences. That's why you'll see DSCC mentioned whenever people discuss designations, transfers, or questions about how time is computed.

Why this matters: The DSCC made the placement decision for your loved one at FCI Oxford - it's not a call the local institution makes on its own.

The BOP doesn't put everyone in the same type of facility. Depending on classification and needs, someone might be designated to a United States Penitentiary (USP), a Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) like FCI Oxford, a Federal Medical Center (FMC), a Federal Prison Camp (FPC), a Federal Detention Center (FDC), or an Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX). "FCI" is one of the standard categories - so a placement at FCI Oxford fits within this broader framework.

Some situations require extra review beyond the standard process - especially when medical needs are involved. The Office of Medical Designations and Transportation (OMDT), part of the BOP's Health Services Division, handles designations for inmates with specific medical requirements. That medical designation can influence housing. The DSCC still runs the overall placement and sentence calculation, so the final picture often involves both offices working together.

Note: If medical needs are part of your loved one’s situation, OMDT’s medical designation can be a key reason a person is - or isn’t - placed at a facility like FCI Oxford.

When trying to make sense of a placement, separate what's public from what's individual. The BOP posts current facility and population statistics online, with breakdowns by facility and type - useful for understanding where FCI Oxford fits in the system. For the "who does what" question, the BOP's Legal Resource Guide explains DSCC and OMDT roles and links to public data sources. The materials cited there are current as of April 2025.

Keep expectations realistic: Public statistics can give you facility-level context, but they won’t explain the specific reasons behind one person’s designation.

How FCI Oxford Was Designated: Understanding the Bureau’s Facility Assignment Process
  1. Start with the institution’s unit team - Ask what they can share about the designation and what information is considered in the federal process.
  2. Ask what role medical designation played (if relevant) - If your loved one has specific medical needs, find out whether OMDT medical designation is part of the placement picture.
  3. Use public BOP statistics for context - Facility and population data can help you understand the system-level landscape, even though it won’t give individual decision details.
  4. Read the BOP Legal Resource Guide section on designations - It explains the DSCC’s role in designation and sentence computation and describes how medical designations are handled through OMDT.

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