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FCI Danbury (low-security)

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MALE
Gender
LOW
Security Level
1091
Population (July 9, 2026)

Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury (FCI Danbury) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates located in Danbury, Connecticut. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility is part of the Danbury Federal Correctional Complex, which includes the adjacent FCI Danbury Satellite Prison Camp.

Overview

FCI Danbury opened in 1940 and is located approximately 60 miles north of New York City. The facility was historically known as a federal prison for women and housed many notable female inmates before being converted to a male facility in 2013.

The prison gained significant pop culture recognition as the inspiration for the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black," based on the memoir by Piper Kerman who served time at the former women's facility.

Notable Inmates

FCI Danbury has housed several high-profile inmates:

Current/Recent:

  • Steve Bannon - Former Trump strategist, served a 4-month sentence for contempt of Congress. Reported to FCI Danbury in July 2024 and was released in October 2024.

Historical (Women's Facility Era):

  • Piper Kerman - Author of "Orange Is the New Black," served 13 months for money laundering.
  • Leona Helmsley - Hotel magnate "Queen of Mean," served 18 months for tax evasion.
  • Lauryn Hill - Grammy-winning singer, served 3 months for tax evasion in 2013.
Name Sentence Offense Dates
George Jung 4-year term (arrested 1974) Marijuana smuggling; later cocaine trafficking (portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2001 film 'Blow'). He met future Medellin-cartel partner Carlos Lehder while at Danbury. mid-1970s (male era)
Sun Myung Moon 18 months (served about 11 months) Tax evasion and conspiracy (founder of the Unification Church) 1984 to 1985 (male era)
Ring Lardner Jr. About 9 months Contempt of Congress (Hollywood Ten; refused to answer HUAC questions on Communist affiliation) circa 1950 (male era)
Robert Lowell Federal sentence for draft violation Draft refusal as a conscientious objector during World War II (Pulitzer Prize-winning poet) 1940s (male era)
Robert Henry Best Life imprisonment Treason (made Nazi propaganda radio broadcasts during World War II) after 1948 (male era)
James Peck About 3 years Draft refusal as a conscientious objector during World War II (later a civil-rights and CORE activist) 1940s (male era)
Bob Jones About 1 year Contempt of Congress (KKK Grand Dragon who refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee) circa 1969 (male era)

Notes from Alumni

The following people have spoken about their time at FCI Danbury (low-security) on the Nightmare Success podcast, hosted by Brent Cassity (himself formerly incarcerated in the federal system):

Please remember that experiences are unique and may not reflect today's experience.

Location

Physical location: DANBURY, CT 06811

Mailing address: 33 1/2 PEMBROKE STATION, DANBURY, CT 06811

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.

See also

Daily life and programs

The Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury is a low-security federal prison for men located on Route 37 (Pembroke Road) in Danbury, Connecticut, about 60 miles north of New York City in the Bureau of Prisons' Northeast Region. It opened in August 1940 and originally held both men and women. In 1993 it was converted to house female inmates exclusively because of a shortage of women's bed space in the Northeast, and it remained a women's facility for two decades. In August 2013 the BOP announced that the main institution would revert to an all-male, low-security facility; the female population was transferred out (largely to FCI Aliceville in Alabama) by April 2014. A new women's facility on the same grounds was completed in December 2016. Today the campus is layered: the main low-security FCI holds the men who are the subject of this entry, while an adjacent Federal Satellite Low (FSL Danbury) and a minimum-security prison camp house women, so the site simultaneously operates male and female components at different security levels.

Housing at the men's low is organized into roughly a dozen or so units. Most consist of open-plan, dormitory-style units featuring cubicles with bunk beds, although some units contain cells rather than cubicles. The facility dedicates certain units to specific programs. For instance, one unit houses the intensive Skills Program for inmates with cognitive or developmental challenges, while a separate unit houses the residential drug-treatment population. Furthermore, at least one general-population unit is built out as cells. Recreation is provided within enclosed, supervised outdoor yards. The Bureau of Prisons' population report dated July 9, 2026 puts the main institution's headcount at 1,091; because reported figures vary by source from roughly 800 to around 1,200 inmates counted across the complex, older secondary estimates should be treated as approximate by comparison.

The flagship program at Danbury is the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). This voluntary, intensive residential treatment track lasts for roughly nine months and involves about 500 hours of programming. Because successful completion can qualify eligible inmates for up to a 12-month reduction in sentence, an RDAP bed is one of the most sought-after placements at the facility. Danbury also runs education and reentry programming, including literacy and GED work, as well as vocational and skills training. In addition, the facility offers a range of institutional work assignments such as food service, facilities and grounds maintenance, landscaping, janitorial and laundry details, tutoring, and library and recreation support. These assignments provide federal inmate pay in the range of roughly $0.12 to $0.40 per hour. The site includes a UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) building; however, sources indicate the industrial operation has not consistently been in active production, and its current status should be confirmed with the institution.

Day-to-day life for inmates adheres to standard BOP low-security patterns. Communication with the outside world consists of postal mail, scheduled video and in-person visitation, and the TRULINCS electronic messaging system, which is billed per minute. Inmates also have monitored telephone access that is capped at 300 minutes per month and governed by a 15-minute per-call limit. Medical care encompasses sick call, dental and mental-health services, and a scheduled medication pill line, with a small co-pay applied to any inmate-initiated visits. The daily routine is further completed by structured recreation, religious services, and the commissary. Because Danbury is situated close to New York City and southern New England, it serves as a frequent designation for defendants sentenced in the Second Circuit and nearby districts, and the facility's high-profile arrivals have periodically drawn national media attention.

First-hand accounts

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

Please remember that experiences are unique and may not reflect today's experience.

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