USP McCreary (high-security)

USP McCreary. Public domain photograph, via Wikimedia Commons.

USP McCreary is a high-security United States penitentiary for men in Pine Knot, Kentucky, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 1,354 people as of November 2025. It does not offer the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The institution's main number is 606-354-7000.

MALE

Gender

HIGH

Security Level

1354

Population (Nov. 2025)

No RDAP

Location

Physical location: PINE KNOT, KY 42635

Mailing address: 330 FEDERAL WAY, PINE KNOT, KY 42635

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

Situated approximately 88 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee, the United States Penitentiary, McCreary (USP McCreary) is a high-security federal prison for men. The facility is located in unincorporated McCreary County near Pine Knot, Kentucky. Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the institution opened in 2003 as part of a wave of Appalachian federal prison construction. The complex pairs the high-security main penitentiary with an adjacent minimum-security satellite prison camp. This camp houses a much smaller male population that supplies inmate labor for grounds and facility support. Reported population figures vary by year and source, but generally land around 1,300 to 1,600 total. Of that total, roughly 1,270 to 1,550 inmates reside in the main USP, while about 80 to 140 are housed at the camp. As a USP, the facility detains men serving longer sentences and those classified as needing a more controlled, secure environment, including organized-crime, terrorism, and violent-offense cases.

Every incarcerated man is assigned to work or education. Education offerings include GED preparation, English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Continuing Education (ACE), a parenting program, and release-preparation coursework. The vocational and apprenticeship tracks reported for the institution include Office Clerk, Residential Wiring, and Web Page Designer, alongside apprenticeships in HVAC, Painter, Cook, and Electrical work. Inmates may also be assigned to institution work details in food service, laundry, mechanical services, recreation, and unit orderly roles. A psychology department handles intake screening, ensuring that each inmate meets a psychologist within the first 14 days. The department also provides counseling, suicide prevention, and crisis intervention, and the Challenge Program is available for men working on behavioral change. Furthermore, a law library in the Education Department provides the TRULINCS Electronic Law Library plus print references such as the United States Code Annotated, the Federal Reporter, and the Supreme Court Reporter.

Neither the main penitentiary nor the camp operates the residential Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) on site, requiring men seeking RDAP to be referred to another BOP facility. Both locations do offer Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP), and a drug education class. This absence of an on-site RDAP is a recurring practical point for men whose sentence reduction eligibility depends on completing the residential program elsewhere.

USP McCreary has a documented record of violence and oversight concerns. On November 8, 2010, an inmate named James Edward Rose attacked two correctional officers with a homemade weapon during routine cell searches, seriously wounding both. Rose was convicted of attempted murder in 2011, sentenced to life, and moved to a higher-security facility. During the October 2013 federal government shutdown, roughly 350 institution staff worked without pay while inmate labor continued to be compensated. A USP McCreary lieutenant was later indicted on federal civil-rights charges tied to on-duty conduct. This incident stems from a U.S. Department of Justice, Eastern District of Kentucky press release that could not be fully retrieved during this research and is flagged for verification of specifics. Independent reporting, including a Washington City Paper investigation into the experience of District of Columbia men held far from home, has described chronic hunger, violence, and frequent lockdowns. Family members on Reddit similarly report extended lockdown stretches with cancelled visitation. These conditions should be read as reported and journalistic rather than as official BOP characterizations.

First-hand accounts

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

• USP McCreary???? (family member on lockdown frequency and mail rules) - Reddit
• USP McCreary. (corrections-officer request for a rundown on quality of life, command, and tempo) - Reddit
• Visiting at USP McCreary (visitor questions on dress code and visiting-room rules) - Reddit
• I'm Trying To Visit My uncle At USP MCCREARY in KY For The First Time (first visit, high-security visitation length) - Reddit
• Inmate dies at USP Mccreary (community discussion of a death in custody) - Reddit
• Hunger and Violence Dominate Daily Life at USP McCreary, Where D.C. Men Are Incarcerated - Washington City Paper (reporting that quotes incarcerated men)

Notable inmates

Name	Sentence	Offense	Dates
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani	Life without parole	Al-Qaeda operative convicted in connection with the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa; first Guantanamo detainee tried in U.S. civilian court	Listed as housed at the main USP (register 02476-748)
Ronell Wilson	Life	Staten Island gang figure convicted of the 2003 murders of undercover NYPD detectives James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews	Held at the main USP; later transferred to USP Florence High (register 71460-053)
Thomas Pitera	Life	Bonanno crime family hitman convicted of multiple murders and drug trafficking	Held at the main USP; later transferred to USP Big Sandy (register 29465-053)
Brendt Christensen	Life without parole plus 10 years	Kidnapping resulting in the death of University of Illinois visiting scholar Yingying Zhang	Reported to USP McCreary main penitentiary in December 2019; transferred to USP Coleman II in early 2020
Auburn Calloway	Life	FedEx employee who attempted to hijack FedEx Flight 705 in 1994 and violently attacked the flight crew	Held at the main USP; later transferred to USP Coleman I (register 14601-076)
Richard McNair	Life	Convicted of murder and known for multiple prison escapes	Listed as housed at the main USP (register 13829-045)
Ghassan Elashi	Federal prison term	Holy Land Foundation co-founder convicted of providing material support to Hamas	Listed as housed at the main USP (register 29687-177)
Russell Defreitas	Life	Convicted in the 2007 plot to bomb fuel lines and tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport	Held at the main USP; later transferred to USP Coleman I (register 64347-053)