USP McCreary (minimum-security camp)

USP McCreary. Public domain photograph, via Wikimedia Commons.

USP McCreary is a minimum-security satellite camp for men in Pine Knot, Kentucky, operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It held about 99 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

MINIMUM

Security Level

99

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does USP McCreary allow conjugal visits?

No. USP McCreary 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 USP McCreary?

USP McCreary 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 subject of this entry is the minimum-security satellite camp located at United States Penitentiary McCreary, a federal prison complex that opened in 2003. The facility is situated in unincorporated McCreary County, Kentucky, roughly 88 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee, and uses a Pine Knot mailing address (330 Federal Way, Pine Knot, KY 42635). The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the complex within the agency's Mid-Atlantic Region. The site pairs a high-security penitentiary for adult men with the adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. Functioning as a small, separately run unit, the camp operates under far lighter security procedures while sharing the grounds and support services of the larger institution. As of September 2023, the Bureau reported 79 men at the camp. Other public listings have shown camp counts ranging from roughly 75 to 115, representing a normal fluctuation for a facility of this size.

In contrast to the penitentiary, where men are held in one- and two-person cells across roughly a dozen housing units, camp residents live in open dormitory housing. Minimum-security camps feature neither perimeter walls nor gun towers, and daily movement is comparatively unrestricted. Men at the camp are expected to hold a work assignment in addition to pursuing literacy, educational, and self-improvement goals. Typical camp jobs span food service, grounds and landscaping, mechanical and powerhouse work, health services, education and recreation support, laundry, and unit orderly duties. At complexes of this type, such camp labor commonly supports the operation and upkeep of the broader institution. Overall, the camp atmosphere is oriented toward work and programming rather than the controlled, closely supervised movement that governs the high-security side.

Inmates at the camp are provided with the standard Bureau slate of education and vocational programming. Academic offerings include GED preparation, English as a Second Language, Adult Continuing Education, and parenting classes. Vocational apprenticeships documented at the camp feature Auto Mechanics, Cook, Landscape Management, Landscape Technician, Powerhouse Mechanics, and Welding, as well as Master Gardener training. While neither the camp nor the penitentiary hosts the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), both facilities offer the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and a drug education class. Furthermore, substance-abuse specialists are able to recommend RDAP transfers to other institutions. Psychology services incorporate an intake screening within the first two weeks, group therapy, and the Challenge Program for men pursuing lifestyle change. Available recreation ranges from arts and crafts to intramural softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball.

The public reputation of USP McCreary stems almost entirely from its high-security penitentiary, a facility that has attracted news coverage regarding violence and staffing conditions while housing organized-crime figures and men convicted of terrorism offenses. Those specific individuals and incidents are associated strictly with the penitentiary, not the minimum-security camp. At federal complexes like McCreary, camp populations consist of lower-risk offenders, including many individuals who are nearing release or possess a limited criminal history. Moreover, the men held there are generally not public figures. Verified, camp-specific first-hand documentation is sparse; consequently, this entry deliberately separates the camp's programs and conditions from the far better-documented penitentiary that shares its address.