FCI Three Rivers (minimum-security camp)

FCI Three Rivers is a minimum-security satellite camp for men in Three Rivers, Texas, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 190 people as of November 2025. It does not offer the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The institution's main number is 361-786-3576.

MALE

Gender

MINIMUM

Security Level

190

Population (Nov. 2025)

No RDAP

Location

Physical location: THREE RIVERS, TX 78071

Mailing address: US HIGHWAY 72 WEST, THREE RIVERS, TX 78071

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 Three Rivers allow conjugal visits?

No. FCI Three Rivers 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 Three Rivers?

FCI Three Rivers 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, Three Rivers sits on U.S. Highway 72 West in unincorporated Live Oak County, Texas, roughly 80 miles south of San Antonio and about 73 miles northwest of Corpus Christi. The complex opened in 1990 and consists of a medium-security institution for adult men plus an adjacent minimum-security satellite prison camp, both run by the federal Bureau of Prisons within its South Central Region. The camp is a separate, smaller unit: published counts of its population range from about 187 to 220 minimum-security men, against roughly 960 to 1,040 held in the main institution. Because a minimum-security camp needs little round-the-clock perimeter security, it has no walls or fences, and residents live in open dormitories rather than the two-person cells used on the medium-security side.

The camp accommodates male inmates assigned a minimum security classification, indicating that authorities judge them to pose little flight risk or danger to the public. In practice, this population largely consists of individuals convicted of nonviolent offenses who are either serving shorter terms or finishing the tail end of longer sentences. Camp inmates experience greater freedom of movement than the men housed behind the fence. Their daily routines are primarily structured around work assignments that support the larger prison complex, including food service, grounds and facilities maintenance, and general labor details. Institutional reporting notes that the main prison operates a UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) shop specializing in fleet management and vehicular components. However, guidance written for incoming prisoners indicates that the camp does not run its own UNICOR factory; consequently, camp job assignments lean toward facility support roles. Across the system, UNICOR pay ranges from roughly $0.12 to $1.15 per hour.

Educational and vocational training at Three Rivers encompasses adult literacy, GED preparation, and English as a Second Language, culminating in an annual graduation ceremony for those finishing GED, ESL, and vocational tracks. Occupational offerings reported for the camp and institution include Building Trades, HVAC, Welding, General Automotive, Wastewater instruction, and Microsoft Applications, alongside apprenticeships in areas such as electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. Although Three Rivers does not house a Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) and refers inmates who need residential treatment elsewhere, the facility provides non-residential drug education, relapse-prevention groups, and a Non-Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program. Recreation includes leisure and law libraries, hobby craft, fitness programs, and yard sports such as basketball, volleyball, and softball. Furthermore, the facility provides Level 1 (healthy-inmate) medical and mental-health care. Visiting generally runs on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays, subject to a monthly commissary spending cap.

The majority of notable public incidents associated with the Three Rivers name have centered on the medium-security institution rather than the camp. For example, a 2008 conflict between rival groups on the main compound resulted in the death of one inmate and left about 22 individuals injured. In a separate corruption case, a correctional officer and his wife pleaded guilty to participating in a contraband-smuggling bribery scheme. Conversely, media coverage concerning the camp primarily features walkaways, the standard low-security term for a minimum-custody inmate who departs from an unfenced facility. In one documented case, the Bureau of Prisons announced that Daniel Pena, a 29-year-old serving a 70-month cocaine-trafficking sentence, was discovered missing from the satellite camp on March 10, 2026. This disappearance initiated a search by the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI. Furthermore, while several notable individuals are frequently listed under the Three Rivers name, specific inmates such as the writer Barrett Brown and church-arson defendant Russell DeBusk were confirmed to be held at the medium-security institution and not the camp.

First-hand accounts

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

• Varsity Blues: Former Texas coach speaks on what he believes is the real scandal - Sports Illustrated. First-person narrative from former University of Texas tennis coach Michael Center about serving his six-month college-admissions-scandal sentence at Three Rivers, including intake on suicide watch, a hot cell with the lights always on, and catching COVID-19 in 2020. Note: the reporting does not confirm whether he was housed at the minimum-security camp or the main institution.
• FCI Three Rivers (partner being transferred, asking how BOP intake and phone access work) - Reddit. Family member of a man being transferred to FCI Three Rivers asks how the Bureau of Prisons works and how soon after arrival he can use the phone; community replies describe intake timelines. Facility level (camp vs. main) not specified.
• FCI Three rivers Texas - Reddit. Family member with a loved one at FCI Three Rivers seeking practical guidance about the facility; general discussion thread, security level not specified and not an inmate account.
• Anyone from FCI Three Rivers? - Reddit. Correctional-officer forum thread discussing working at FCI Three Rivers; staff perspective on the institution rather than a first-hand inmate account of the camp.

Notable inmates

Name	Sentence	Offense	Dates
Daniel Pena	70 months	Possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine (Southern District of Texas); discovered missing (walkaway) from the minimum-security satellite camp on March 10, 2026	Walkaway announced March 10, 2026