FCI Cumberland (medium-security)

MALE

Gender

MEDIUM

Security Level

900

Population (Nov. 2025)

RDAP

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Location

Physical location: CUMBERLAND, MD 21502

Mailing address: 14601 BURBRIDGE RD SE, CUMBERLAND, MD 21502

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

Opened in 1994, Federal Correctional Institution, Cumberland is a medium-security U.S. federal prison for adult male inmates. The facility is located in unincorporated Allegany County, Maryland, near the city of Cumberland and roughly 130 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons within its Mid-Atlantic Region. The complex pairs the medium-security main institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite prison camp. Although published figures vary by source, the total population stands at roughly 1,100 inmates, with the majority held behind the secure perimeter of the main compound and a few hundred low-risk inmates housed at the camp. These two components are administratively linked but distinct, as the camp typically holds men nearing release and functions as a lower-restriction environment separate from the medium-security institution.

Housing at the main facility generally consists of two- and three-person cubicles situated within secure housing units, while the satellite camp relies on open dormitory-style housing. In keeping with the policies of most BOP institutions, all medically able inmates must work unless they are enrolled full time in education or vocational training. Standard institutional jobs, such as food service, orderly, maintenance, and landscaping, pay in the range of roughly 12 to 40 cents per hour. Additionally, FCI Cumberland hosts a UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) operation. Through this program, the facility runs a license-plate manufacturing center that produces plates for federal government vehicles. These UNICOR assignments pay more than standard details, providing compensation in the area of 23 cents to about 1.15 dollars per hour. By participating in consistent work and programming, eligible inmates can accrue First Step Act time credits, which are commonly cited at 10 to 15 days per month.

The institution offers the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), a voluntary and intensive residential treatment track lasting approximately 9 months and 500 hours. Successful completion can yield up to a 12-month reduction in sentence for eligible participants. Alongside RDAP, the facility provides the usual slate of education, including GED and adult continuing education, along with vocational training and religious services. Recreation is extensive relative to daily monotony. Reported outdoor options include walking tracks, basketball, handball and racquetball courts, bocce, horseshoes, softball, and soccer. Inside, the gym offers cable weight machines, stationary bikes, table tennis, arts and crafts, and music programs. However, free weights are not permitted, consistent with BOP policy. Finally, the facility provides individuals with access to both law and leisure libraries.

Day-to-day logistics mirror those of the wider federal system. Medical care operates through a formal sick-call (cop-out) request process, which requires a nominal co-pay of about two dollars for visits initiated by inmates. These services are provided alongside 24-hour emergency coverage, annual dental checks, chronic-care medication, and mental-health counseling. Commissary spending is capped at around 360 dollars per month, though this limit excludes certain over-the-counter items and stamps. Furthermore, contact with the outside world is facilitated through TRULINCS electronic messaging, standard mail, scheduled visitation, and monitored telephone access of roughly 300 minutes per month. Because the medium-security institution and the minimum-security camp differ sharply in movement, supervision, and privileges, an inmate's experience at Cumberland depends heavily on which side of the complex they are designated to.

Notable inmates

Name	Sentence	Offense	Dates
Aldrich Ames	Life without parole	Espionage; CIA officer who spied for the Soviet Union and Russia, the most damaging spy in CIA history	Died at FCI Cumberland January 5, 2026, age 84
Jeffrey MacDonald	Life	Triple murder of his pregnant wife and two daughters at Fort Bragg (the 'Fatal Vision' case); former Army physician	Convicted 1979; housed at FCI Cumberland
Matthew F. Hale	40 years	Soliciting the murder of a federal judge; white-supremacist leader of the World Church of the Creator	Transferred from ADX Florence; release scheduled 2036
Javaid Perwaiz	59 years	Health-care fraud; gynecologist who performed unnecessary surgeries on women	Release scheduled 2069
Abduwali Muse	33 years, 9 months	Piracy; participant in the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama	Sentenced 2011
Clayton Waagner	Multi-decade term; release scheduled 2042	Anti-abortion extremist and bank robber; anthrax-hoax threats against abortion clinics
Ryan Salame	7.5 years	Campaign-finance and money-transmitting crimes; former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO	Reported to FCI Cumberland October 2024
Stewart Rhodes	18 years (commuted; released 2025)	Seditious conspiracy related to the January 6 Capitol attack; Oath Keepers founder	Held at FCI Cumberland until 2025 commutation