FCI Big Spring (low-security)
FCI Big Spring is a low-security federal correctional institution for men in Big Spring, Texas, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 488 people as of November 2025. It does not offer the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The institution's main number is 432-466-2300.
Location
Physical location: BIG SPRING, TX 79720
Mailing address: 1900 SIMLER AVE, BIG SPRING, TX 79720
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
FCI Big Spring is a low-security U.S. federal prison for male inmates located in Big Spring, Texas, within Howard County, roughly midway between Dallas and El Paso. Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the facility opened in 1979 on the grounds of the shuttered Webb Air Force Base, utilizing buildings repurposed from that base. The complex pairs the main low-security institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite prison camp that holds lower-custody men. An important distinction for readers is that the same town also hosts the separately operated, privately run Big Spring Correctional Center. Also built on former Webb AFB land, this contract facility houses federal detainees under contract and is NOT the BOP-run FCI. As a result, notable-inmate and program information here refers strictly to the BOP institution and camp, not the private contract facility.
Reported population figures fluctuate depending on the year and the source consulted. Wikipedia's infobox cites roughly 1,018 individuals within the main institution and about 114 in the camp. In contrast, facility guides such as Prison Professors and InmateAid report a smaller recent count of around 506 in the main facility and roughly 105 in the camp. Men assigned to the main low-security institution are generally housed in two-person cells distributed across multiple housing units, whereas camp inmates live in open dormitories with more flexible movement and schedules. Over the decades, the facility's low-security profile and central-West-Texas location have made it a placement for a wide range of federal inmates, including several higher-profile figures.
Work is mandatory for all medically able inmates. Common institutional jobs include food service, facilities and grounds maintenance, landscaping, orderly and janitorial work, and education tutoring, typically paying about $0.12 to $0.40 per hour. The facility's UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) operation reportedly manages electronics and plastics production and provides higher compensation, paying roughly $0.23 to $1.15 per hour. Educational programming aligns with standard BOP offerings to include literacy, GED preparation, English-as-a-second-language, Adult Continuing Education (ACE), and parenting classes. Furthermore, vocational training is reported in trades such as building and electrical trades and food-service management. Regarding sentence-credit planning, FCI Big Spring does not operate the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Instead, the institution provides non-residential substance-abuse services, featuring a Drug Education course, a Living Sober group, and individual and group counseling through the non-residential drug program.
Recreational programming at the facility features outdoor facilities such as basketball and handball or racquetball courts, an outdoor track, and sports fields, alongside indoor leisure activities like table games, cards, and movie nights. Consistent with most BOP institutions, the gym emphasizes cable machines, resistance equipment, and bodyweight stations rather than free weights. Furthermore, religious services, standard visitation, and the usual commissary and telephone or messaging access round out daily life. Because the complex is situated on a former Air Force base that was repurposed in 1979, its architectural layout reflects that mid-century military-campus origin rather than a purpose-built modern prison design.
Notable inmates
| Name | Sentence | Offense | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Chauvin[1] | 21 years federal (22.5 years state, served concurrently) | Federal civil-rights violation in the murder of George Floyd (also a state second-degree murder conviction) | Transferred to the low-security FCI in August 2024; present as of 2026 |
| Leland Yee[2] | 5 years | Racketeering tied to public corruption, bribery, money laundering, and gun trafficking (former California state senator) | Released from FCI Big Spring June 26, 2020 |
| Anthony Pellicano[3] | 15 years | Illegal wiretapping, racketeering, and wire fraud (private investigator to Hollywood celebrities) | Released 2019; later transferred to FCI Terminal Island before release |
| David Duke[4] | 15 months | Tax and mail fraud (politician and white nationalist) | Released 2004 |
| Robert Courtney[5] | 30 years | Deliberately diluting the chemotherapy drugs of an estimated 4,200 cancer patients ("The Toxic Pharmacist") | Held at Big Spring; later moved to FCI Englewood, scheduled release 2026 |
| Dias Kadyrbayev[6] | 6 years | Conspiracy to obstruct justice by disposing of evidence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev | Released 2018 and deported to Kazakhstan |
| Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna[7] | 135 months (about 11.25 years) | Gulf Cartel figure; assault on U.S. federal agents (1999) and bribery of an undercover agent | Released into Mexican custody October 19, 2021 |
| Don Black[8] | 2 years | Violation of the Neutrality Act of 1794 (Ku Klux Klan leader) | Released November 15, 1984 |
References
- ↑ "Derek Chauvin". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Leland Yee". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Anthony Pellicano". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "David Duke". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Robert Courtney". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Dias Kadyrbayev". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Don Black". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
CLOSURE NOTICE: This facility was announced for permanent closure on July 1, 2026. See the closure announcement below.
Announced closure (2026)
On July 1, 2026, the Bureau of Prisons announced that FCI Big Spring will permanently close, part of a set of closures the agency attributed to extreme staffing shortages and a systemwide maintenance backlog it put at more than $4 billion.[1][2] This page will be retitled and preserved as a historical record once the closure is complete.
- ↑ "Federal Bureau of Prisons Announces Facility Closures and Operational Changes". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
- ↑ "Bureau of Prisons to close six institutions, citing extreme staffing challenges". Federal News Network. Retrieved 2026-07-13.