FCI McKean (minimum-security camp)
FCI McKean is a minimum-security satellite camp for men in Lewis Run, Pennsylvania, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 232 people as of November 2025. The institution's main number is 814-362-8900.
Location
Physical location: LEWIS RUN, PA 16738
Mailing address: 6975 ROUTE 59, LEWIS RUN, PA 16738
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does FCI McKean allow conjugal visits?
No. FCI McKean does not allow conjugal visits. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not permit conjugal visits at any facility regardless of security level. This includes all minimum-security federal prison camps, low-security FCIs, medium-security facilities, and high-security USPs. Only four state prison systems (California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington) allow conjugal visits for state prisoners. Federal inmates have no access to conjugal or extended family visits anywhere in the BOP system.
Q: What types of visitation are allowed at FCI McKean?
FCI McKean allows contact visits during designated visiting hours, typically on weekends and holidays. Contact visits permit brief embraces at the start and end of visits, but prolonged physical contact is not allowed. All visits occur in supervised visiting rooms. Visitors must be pre-approved through a background check process and must follow dress code requirements. For full details, see the Visiting Policies and Procedures page.
Daily life and programs
The Federal Correctional Institution, McKean satellite camp is the minimum-security men's camp adjoining the medium-security FCI McKean in northwestern Pennsylvania. The complex sits in Lafayette Township near Lewis Run, between the towns of Bradford and Kane, roughly 90 miles south of Buffalo, New York. The main FCI opened in 1989, and the adjacent camp holds minimum-security male offenders judged to pose little flight or public-safety risk. Because of that low risk classification, the camp operates with no walls or perimeter fencing and a comparatively low staff-to-inmate ratio, the standard federal prison camp model.
Camp residents live in dormitory-style housing rather than cells. Layout descriptions detail two camp housing units and a greenhouse, with each unit holding roughly 165 men in dorms divided into two-person cubicles. Population figures for the camp vary across sources and over time, so these numbers should be treated as approximate. The population was reported at about 147 inmates as of September 2023, while other listings cite capacities in the range of roughly 171 to 330. In addition, camp inmates are subject to fewer internal controls and security restrictions than men held in the main medium-security institution.
Programming at the camp is oriented toward reentry. The camp houses a Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), which operates as the Bureau of Prisons' intensive residential substance-abuse track that can earn eligible nonviolent inmates up to a one-year sentence reduction on completion. This is notable because the main medium-security FCI at McKean does not offer RDAP, making it effectively a camp-level feature. However, both the FCI and the camp offer the Drug Education Course and the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program. Additionally, FCI McKean is classified as Medical Care Level 1, a designation for healthy inmates and those with minor, stable conditions. The facility's psychology services include Anger Management, Emotional Self-Regulation, Criminal Thinking, and Seeking Safety. While there is no UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) factory at McKean, the institution has historically emphasized vocational training and a reentry-focused library.
Over the years, the McKean camp has accommodated a number of well-known nonviolent white-collar and public-corruption offenders serving lower-security time. This notable population includes actor Wesley Snipes, former U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah, former Bridgeport mayor Joseph Ganim, and former MLB pitcher Denny McLain. While reports of harsh lockdowns and restricted conditions at McKean circulate in advocacy media, these accounts generally describe cell-based housing and segregation units. Because these descriptions indicate the main medium-security FCI rather than the fence-free, dormitory camp, such reports should not be read as camp conditions without further confirmation.
Notable inmates
| Name | Sentence | Offense | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley Snipes[1] | 3 years; reported Dec 9, 2010, released Apr 2, 2013 (about 28 months served) | Willful failure to file federal income tax returns (three misdemeanor counts) | 2010-2013 |
| Chaka Fattah[2] | 10 years; surrendered Jan 25, 2017, and was placed in the minimum-security camp adjacent to the medium-security prison | Racketeering, bribery, and fraud (misuse of federal, campaign, and nonprofit funds while a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania) | 2017 |
| Joseph P. Ganim | 9 years; transferred to the FCI McKean prison camp in 2009 after serving most of his term at FCI Fort Dix, released 2010 | Federal public-corruption / racketeering, extortion, and bribery (16 counts) as Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut | 2009-2010 |
| Denny McLain[3] | 8 years imposed, served roughly 6; served time in the McKean prison camp, released 2003 | Mail fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, and theft (embezzlement from the Peet Packing pension fund); former Detroit Tigers pitcher | released 2003 |
References
- ↑ "Wesley Snipes". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Chaka Fattah". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Denny McLain". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.