FCI Miami (low-security)
Federal Correctional Institution, Miami (FCI Miami) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates located in Miami, Florida. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility is part of the Miami Federal Correctional Complex, which includes the adjacent FCI Miami Satellite Prison Camp.
Overview
FCI Miami is a low-security correctional institution that opened in 1976. The facility is located in southwest Miami-Dade County and houses approximately 825 inmates. Due to its location in South Florida, the facility has a significant Spanish-speaking population.
The minimum-security satellite camp adjacent to the main facility provides additional housing for lower-risk inmates.
Notable Inmates
FCI Miami has housed several high-profile inmates:
- Peter_Navarro - Former Trump White House trade advisor, served a 4-month sentence for contempt of Congress. Released in July 2024.
- Manuel Noriega - Former Panamanian dictator, held at FCI Miami after his 1992 conviction on drug trafficking charges.
| Name | Sentence | Offense | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Pearlman[1] | 25 years | Conspiracy and money laundering tied to a Ponzi scheme that cost investors an estimated $300 million; manager behind Backstreet Boys and NSYNC | Died in custody at FCI Miami on August 19, 2016 while serving his sentence; main institution |
| Joel Greenberg[2] | 11 years | Underage sex trafficking, wire fraud, identity theft, and related counts; former Seminole County (FL) tax collector and Matt Gaetz associate | BOP locator lists him at FCI Miami; projected release around 2030; low institution (sex-offense public-safety factor) |
| Michael Conahan | 17.5 years | Racketeering conspiracy in the Pennsylvania 'Kids for Cash' judicial corruption scandal | Held at FCI Miami; released to home confinement in 2020 during COVID-19 and later granted clemency; FCI Miami complex |
| Sanjay Kumar | 12 years (released early) | Securities fraud and obstruction tied to a multibillion-dollar accounting scheme at Computer Associates | Held at FCI Miami; released about January 2017; FCI Miami complex (white-collar; low institution vs. camp not separately documented) |
Notes from Alumni
The following people have spoken about their time at FCI Miami (low-security) on the Nightmare Success podcast, hosted by Brent Cassity (himself formerly incarcerated in the federal system):
- Surviving, Adapting, and the Jingle of the Keys: Sam Mangel Story (Nightmare Success podcast)
- From Federal Prison to $78M Business: PJ Jensen on Addiction, Discipline & No-Excuses Recovery (Nightmare Success podcast)
Please remember that experiences are unique and may not reflect today's experience.
Location
Physical location: MIAMI, FL 33177
Mailing address: 15801 S.W. 137TH AVENUE, MIAMI, FL 33177
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
- Index of Federal Prison Facilities
- FCI Miami (minimum-security camp)
- Bureau of Prisons Classification Methods
Daily life and programs
Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Southeast Region), FCI Miami is a low-security U.S. federal prison for male inmates with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. The facility sits in southwest unincorporated Miami-Dade County, roughly 30 miles from downtown Miami. The site opened in 1976 as a youth-offender center featuring a distinctive campus-like layout built around a lake. From about 1977 to 1981, it served as an immigration detention site for Haitian and Cuban migrants. It then operated as an administrative detention center (MCC-Miami) during South Florida's drug-war years in the late 1980s, before being converted to a low-security sentenced-inmate institution, FCI Miami, in June 1995. Total population runs near 1,000, with roughly 820 at the low-security institution and about 180 at the satellite camp. Because press coverage and the BOP inmate locator frequently label both units simply 'FCI Miami,' the low institution and the minimum-security camp are often conflated even though they are distinct security levels.
Daily life at the facility aligns with standard low-security BOP operations. Every medically able inmate is required to work unless they are enrolled full-time in education or vocational training. Institutional jobs, which include food service, maintenance, landscaping, and orderly work, pay roughly $0.12 to $0.40 per hour. Alternatively, Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR) positions at Miami center on textiles and clothing production. These roles pay about $0.23 to $1.15 per hour and allow inmates to earn First Step Act time credits. Commissary spending is capped at around $360 per month, although medications and stamps are excluded from this limit. Inmates receive roughly 300 phone minutes per month, and the TRULINCS system provides monitored email. Recreational amenities feature an outdoor track, basketball and sports fields, weight and cardio equipment, table games, and law and leisure libraries. Medical services cover sick call, 24/7 emergency response, routine dental care, and mental-health counseling, with a $2 co-pay applied to inmate-initiated visits.
Programming is anchored by the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), a voluntary nine-month, 500-hour residential treatment track that can shorten an eligible inmate's sentence by up to 12 months. At Miami, RDAP is notably offered in Spanish, reflecting the heavily Hispanic South Florida inmate population. Education offerings include literacy classes, GED and GED-preparation, and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction, with small incentive payments for completing the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) and larger awards for passing the GED or ESL exams. These programs, combined with UNICOR work, form the primary avenues through which inmates accrue First Step Act earned-time credits toward earlier release or halfway-house placement.
The facility maintains a colorful institutional history. Two helicopter escape attempts are on record. A 1986 attempt tied to Gary Wayne Betzner and Terry Briceno was foiled by the FBI, while a 1989 attempt linked to Benjamin 'Barry' Kramer ended when the aircraft struck a recreation-yard fence and crashed. In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew heavily damaged the institution and its satellite camp, which sat near hard-hit Homestead. This damage prompted a temporary closure. Although one widely copied source misdates this event to October, Andrew struck South Florida on August 24, 1992. Notable inmates span both units. The low-security institution has held special-status detainee Manuel Noriega and boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman, who died in custody there in 2016. Meanwhile, high-profile white-collar figures such as Peter Navarro (2024) served at the adjacent minimum-security camp.
First-hand accounts
First-person accounts and reporting about life at this facility. Experiences are individual and may not reflect current conditions.
- Surviving, Adapting, and the Jingle of the Keys: The Sam Mangel Story - Nightmare Success podcast. First-person account from Sam Mangel about serving his sentence at the FCI Miami minimum-security satellite camp: navigating staff and case managers, fighting to secure his full 12 months of halfway-house time, and learning about programs like RDAP that his own attorney had never mentioned. Describes camp conditions, not the low-security institution.
References
- ↑ "Lou Pearlman". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Joel Greenberg". '. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
