FCI Bastrop (low-security)

FCI Bastrop. Public domain photograph, via Wikimedia Commons.

FCI Bastrop is a low-security federal correctional institution for men in Bastrop, Texas, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 1,021 people as of November 2025. It does not offer the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The institution's main number is 512-321-3903.

MALE

Gender

LOW

Security Level

1021

Population (Nov. 2025)

No RDAP

Location

Physical location: BASTROP, TX 78602

Mailing address: 1341 HIGHWAY 95 NORTH, BASTROP, TX 78602

Visitation

There are many specific rules and procedures to be aware of when you're considering visiting the institution. Read more on our Visitation Guide.

For full, current visiting rules and scheduling, always check the institution's official page on the Bureau of Prisons website: Official BOP Page.

Daily life and programs

The Federal Correctional Institution, Bastrop is a low-security federal prison for adult male offenders operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It opened in 1979 and sits in the Camp Swift area of Bastrop County, Texas, roughly 8 miles north of the city of Bastrop and about 30 miles southeast of Austin. Although rated for a capacity of around 793, the main institution has in practice held closer to 1,300 men. Immediately adjacent to the main low-security compound is a satellite prison camp that houses roughly 200 minimum-security inmates. The camp is administratively distinct from the low-security institution and, as is typical of federal camps, has no perimeter fence, whereas the main institution is a secured compound.

All inmates housed at FCI Bastrop are required to hold a work assignment. Standard institution jobs in food service, maintenance, landscaping, laundry, and orderly work provide basic compensation ranging from $0.12 to $0.40 per hour. Higher wages are available through the Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR) operation, where positions pay approximately $0.23 to $1.15 per hour. The UNICOR factory at the prison has historically centered on vehicle work, retrofitting and refurbishing vehicles for government agencies, although the satellite camp lacks its own UNICOR facility. Inmates who participate in productive activities are also eligible to earn First Step Act time credits. The facility accommodates physical recreation with outdoor basketball courts, a jogging track, and softball fields, as well as indoor amenities such as cable weight machines and table tennis. Prisoners can maintain external communication via the TRULINCS email system, video visiting, in-person visitation, and monitored phone calls, which are subject to a monthly allotment of approximately 300 minutes.

To support rehabilitation and reentry, FCI Bastrop administers the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Designed for inmates with documented substance use disorders, this initiative operates as a voluntary and intensive nine-month, roughly 500-hour residential treatment program. Because successful completion can qualify an eligible inmate for up to a 12-month reduction in sentence, it is recognized as one of the most sought-after programs in the federal system. Additionally, the institution offers education, vocational training, and other self-improvement programming alongside the mandatory work assignments.

The most widely reported incident associated with Bastrop took place on November 20, 2009. Two inmates, Leandro Luna and Adan Chavez, walked away from the fence-free minimum-security satellite camp, stole a Bureau of Prisons vehicle, and fled. About six days later, Mexican authorities apprehended the men in Ciudad Acuna, situated across the border from Del Rio, Texas. Because the escape occurred at the camp rather than the secured low-security institution, the event illustrates the operational difference between the two parts of the Bastrop complex.

First-hand accounts

First-person accounts and reporting about life at this facility. Experiences are individual and may not reflect current conditions.

• FCI Bastrop - Reddit (corrections-staff perspective). Thread with verified first-hand accounts from correctional officers who worked at Bastrop. Commenters confirm it is a low-security facility with a minimum-security camp, describe inmates as 'pretty chill,' and complain of chronic understaffing and frequent mandated double shifts (one served 2016-2021).
• Surrendering to FCI Bastrop Camp - Reddit. First-person thread from a man about to self-surrender to the Bastrop satellite CAMP (minimum-security, distinct from the low institution) asking others for experience and knowledge of the facility before reporting.
• Experience at FCI Bastrop? - Reddit. Discussion thread asking about first-hand experience at FCI Bastrop from a reentry/support angle. Note: the original post body has been removed, so value is in any replies rather than the OP.
• Anybody have a guy at FCI Bastrop? - Reddit (family perspective). Family-member thread seeking others with an incarcerated loved one at FCI Bastrop to compare notes on visitation, communication, and conditions.
• Anybody visit fci Bastrop 2016-2017 - Reddit (visitor perspective). Thread seeking visitor-experience accounts from people who visited FCI Bastrop in the 2016-2017 window.

Notable inmates

Name	Sentence	Offense	Dates
Aaron 'Mo' LeBaron	540 months (45 years); projected release around 2033	Conspiracy/murder connected to the LeBaron cult killings (four murders)	Held at the main low-security institution
Jon Woods	220 months; projected release around 2033	Mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering (Arkansas state-senate kickback scheme); former Arkansas state senator	Listed as an inmate at FCI Bastrop
Sam Hurd	About 15 years imposed; released 2023	Drug-distribution conspiracy; former NFL wide receiver	Former inmate
Richard Causey	Released 2011 after serving roughly 4 years	Securities fraud; former chief accounting officer of Enron	Former inmate
Chris Lamprecht	Released 2000 after about 5 years	Money laundering; computer hacker (known as 'Minor Threat'), notable as the first person barred by a court from internet access	Former inmate
Yassein Said	12 years; later transferred to FMC Fort Worth	Conspiracy to harbor/shield a fugitive (his brother Yaser Abdel Said)	Former Bastrop inmate
Leandro Luna and Adan Chavez	Escaped from the adjacent MINIMUM-security satellite camp, not the low-security institution	Narcotics offenses; escaped November 2009 and were recaptured in Mexico	November 2009 escape (camp)