FCI Tallahassee (low-security)
FCI Tallahassee is a low-security federal correctional institution in Tallahassee, Florida, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 1,206 people as of November 2025. The institution's main number is 850-878-2173.
Location
Physical location: TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301
Mailing address: 501 CAPITAL CIRCLE, NE, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301
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
Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee is a low-security federal prison for women located about three miles east of downtown Tallahassee, Florida, on US Highway 319. It opened in January 1938 and remains one of a small number of federal facilities that house women. The main institution holds female inmates in dormitory-style housing; the designated capacity is roughly 812, although secondary sources cite bed space of 1,100+. Additionally, an adjacent detention center holds administrative-security male inmates in cells. The Bureau's own live facility locator flags Tallahassee's overall gender designation as "mixed," and its population report does not publish a separate women's-only line the way it does for facilities like SFF Hazelton; as of July 9, 2026 that report lists 1,206 for the site as a single combined figure, which this page reports as the sourced total rather than guessing at a gender split. News coverage frequently describes the complex as a facility where women can take part in activities like yoga, painting, and music. The prison also runs a STAGES program for inmates with serious mental illness.
Programming at FCI Tallahassee centers on the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), which operates as a roughly nine-month, 500-hour intensive treatment track. Successful completion of this treatment can shorten a sentence by up to 12 months. The facility also offers non-residential drug abuse programming and Alcoholics Anonymous. Tallahassee is also listed on the Bureau's RDAP location document as a Female Integrated Treatment Program site. Education services provided include literacy, GED, English-as-a-Second-Language, and Adult Continuing Education (ACE) classes. Furthermore, vocational training is available in Building Trades, Business Education, and Horticulture, complemented by apprenticeships in fields such as construction, electrician, and baker. Additionally, a UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) operation is located on site, providing paid work assignments.
FCI Tallahassee has a long, documented history of staff misconduct and sexual abuse. On June 21, 2006, FBI and DOJ Office of Inspector General agents attempted to arrest six correctional officers accused of trading drugs and contraband for sex with inmates. During the operation, Officer Ralph Hill opened fire, killing OIG Special Agent William 'Buddy' Sentner and then dying of his own wounds, while a BOP lieutenant was injured. The five surviving guards were later convicted on lesser charges and received about one-year sentences, and the incident prompted metal detectors and staff bag searches. Reporting, including a 2023 investigation by The Appeal, documents that the Bureau of Prisons received more than 130 staff-on-inmate abuse complaints at the facility since 2012, marking one of the highest rates in the system. Officer Phillip Golightly was sentenced in 2021 to two years, and Jimmy Lee Highsmith was sentenced in 2022 to four years for sexually abusing prisoners. Additionally, physician assistant Paul Rolston has been named in multiple civil suits.
An unannounced U.S. Department of Justice inspection in 2023 uncovered 'alarming' conditions at FCI Tallahassee. The review determined that inmates were being served spoiled food, citing one instance involving E. coli contamination. Inspectors additionally documented rodent droppings, insect infestations, mold and crumbling infrastructure, unreliable water access, freezing winter showers, and chronic staffing shortages. These findings, combined with the abuse record, have made the institution one of the most scrutinized women's facilities in the federal system. The facility drew heightened national attention after Ghislaine Maxwell was designated there in 2022; she was later transferred to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, in 2025.
First-hand accounts
First-person accounts and reporting about life at this facility. Experiences are individual and may not reflect current conditions.
- FCI Tallahassee, 'I have to turn myself in next week' — Reddit. First-person post from a woman about to self-surrender to FCI Tallahassee, who was recommended for RDAP and asks for advice; formerly-incarcerated commenters weigh in on how to get into and complete the RDAP program.
- FCI Tallahassee (corrections-officer discussion) — Reddit. First-hand staff perspective: current/former federal corrections officers bluntly discuss working the women's low at FCI Tallahassee, referencing the facility's environment and the fallout from abuse scandals (note: staff, not inmate, viewpoint).
- 'Sexual Abuse Is Rampant Here': Inside the Women's Prison Where Ghislaine Maxwell Is Held — The Appeal (first-person inmate accounts). Investigative article quoting incarcerated women at FCI Tallahassee by name (Rachel Padgett, Clothera Peak, Starlet Kizer) describing sexual abuse, retaliation, spoiled food, and water problems from inside the facility.
- Justice Department watchdog finds 'alarming' conditions inside Florida federal prison — NPR. Top-tier national journalism on the DOJ OIG's surprise inspection finding leaking ceilings and inadequate sanitation.
- Inside FCI Tallahassee, the prison holding Ghislaine Maxwell — The Week. Explainer on daily routine at FCI Tallahassee, including the 6 a.m. wake and ID-card rules.
- DOJ OIG inspection report: FCI Tallahassee and FCI Waseca — DOJ OIG. Primary oversight document comparing the two women's facilities, underlying the NPR story.
- Women's prison — Reddit (r/Prison). First-person research thread from a family member comparing FPC Alderson and FCI Tallahassee.
Notable inmates
| Name | Sentence | Offense | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Butina[1] | 18 months | Conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government (Russia) | Released October 2019 (then deported to Russia) |
| Colleen LaRose ("Jihad Jane") | 10 years | Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill in a foreign country | Released November 2018 |
| Lauren Handy | 57 months (later pardoned January 2025) | FACE Act violation (leading a 2020 blockade/invasion of a Washington, D.C. abortion clinic) | Served about 7 months at FCI Tallahassee before her pardon |
| Chelsea Gerlach | About 6 years | Arson (Earth Liberation Front, Vail ski resort and Oregon businesses) | Released 2013 |
| Narcisa Veliz Novack | Life without parole | Orchestrating the 2009 beating deaths of husband Ben Novack Jr. and mother-in-law Bernice Novack | Serving |
| Catherine May Wood | Second-degree murder | Murder (nursing-home 'Alpine Manor' killings, with partner Gwendolyn Graham) | Released January 16, 2020 |
| Jaelyn Delshaun Young | 12 years | Attempting to provide material support to ISIS | Sentenced 2016; released October 28, 2024 |
See also
- FCI Tallahassee: a practical guide for women preparing to serve time there (womensfederalprison.com)
References
- ↑ "Maria Butina". '. Retrieved 2026-07-06.