- Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
- Illinois
- PO Box 1000, Marion, IL 62959
- 618-964-1441
- Official Website
- Featured
United States Penitentiary (USP) – Marion's comprehensive information to help guide you through the federal prison process, specifically on how to remain connected to your inmate while they are incarcerated.
The USP-Marion is a federal prison located at 4500 Prison Rd in Marion, IL. This federal medium security prison is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to hold inmates who have been convicted to and sentenced for a federal crime through the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
Locate all federal inmates here. If you would like to speak with a case manager or counselor, call 618-964-1441.
The United States Penitentiary, Marion (USP Marion) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Illinois. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the US Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp that houses minimum security male offenders. USP Marion was built and opened in 1963 to replace the maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, which closed the same year. The facility became the nation's first control unit when violence forced a long-term lockdown in 1983. While still called USP Marion, it houses medium-security inmates and is a Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) facility. The satellite camp opened in 1971. It is located adjacent to and provides support services for, USP Marion.
USP Marion in Southern Illinois is approximately 9 miles south of the city of Marion, IL, 300 miles south of Chicago, and 120 miles southeast of St. Louis, MO.
Background: USP Marion was originally constructed to hold 500 of the most dangerous federal inmates, mostly transfers from Alcatraz. Prison administrators aimed to maintain a safe and orderly environment and rehabilitate the inmates while avoiding the high-profile abuses that occurred at Alcatraz. They implemented a behavior modification program named Control and Rehabilitation Effort (CARE) in 1968. Inmates in the program spent most of their time in solitary confinement or in "group therapy" sessions where they were berated for their deviant behavior and urged to change. In 1973, the first blocks of "control unit" cells were created. Inmates assigned to the control-unit would spend 23 to 24 hours a day in one-man cells that were specifically designed to severely limit or eliminate the inmate's contact with other people inside the prison and the outside world.USP Marion was opened in 1963 as a replacement for Alcatraz. It used to be the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ control unit which housed high-profile offenders such as John Gotti, Boss of the Gambino Crime Family in New York City from 1985 to 1992; convicted of murder, murder conspiracy, loansharking, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice, bribery, and tax evasion in 1992 – died serving a life sentence.
Other notable inmates include Richard Scutari former member of the white supremacist group The Order was convicted of conspiracy, racketeering and robbery serving 60 years, Michael Finton pleaded guilty in 2011 to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction for plotting to destroy a federal building in Illinois with a truck bomb in 2009 serving 28 years, Francis Schaeffer Cox (serving a 25-year sentence for murder conspiracy) as leader of the Alaska Peacemakers Militia serving a 25-year sentence, Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout (serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill Americans and supplying anti-aircraft missiles), and MLB player Pete Rose (served 5 months at the camp for filing false tax returns), Michael Rudkin a former correction officer at FCI Danbury in Connecticut; sentenced to prison in 2008 for having sex with an inmate; convicted in 2010 of trying to hire a hitman to kill the inmate, his ex-wife, his ex-wife's boyfriend and a federal agent while incarcerated at USP Coleman in FL, Garrett Brock Trapnell was convicted in 1973 of air piracy for hijacking TWA Flight 2 and threatening to ram the plane into the terminal of JFK Airport unless he received a ransom – he died in prison serving a life sentence, .
Housing: Inmates are housed in one-person, two-person and three-person cells. In the camp prisoners are held in dormitories which are divided into two-person cubicles.
Health Services: Intake screening, medical and dental sick call, emergency services, medications, physical examinations, chronic care, eye care and eyeglasses, immunizations as necessary, and pre-release examinations are available for prisoners. Prisoners are assigned a primary care provider who is their primary point of contact with Health Services. Inmates must submit a sick call form in order to be seen.
Psychology Services: Psychology Services at USP Marion provide counseling and a variety of programs to assist inmates who have mental health issues. Psychology Services assesses, treats, and monitors inmates with mental health problems, and provides crisis counseling, suicide prevention, sex offender management programming, and various groups such as a Non-Residential Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP-NR), anger management, communication skills, criminal thinking, rational behavior therapy, values clarification, and various other programs. Individual and group counseling are available for the mentally ill.
Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP): USP Marion houses a Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). The camp does not house an RDAP facility. Other drug programs include a Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP) and a Drug Education Program.
Education Services: USP Marion provides GED and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs. Adult Continuing Education (ACE) and parenting classes are also available. High school diplomas and post-secondary programs are available through paid correspondence programs.
Advanced Occupational Education: USP Marion offers advanced occupational education in Building Trades, Certified Production Technician, and Information Processing.
Apprenticeship: USP Marion offers apprenticeships in Electrical, HVAC, Painting, and Residential and Commercial Plumbing. The camp offers Electrical, Waste Water Treatment, and Water Treatment apprenticeships.
Library Services: USP Marion has a leisure reading library containing a selection of educational books and leisure reading materials (e.g., magazines, newspapers, and both fiction and nonfiction books). Inmates are discouraged from removing most reading materials from the library due to living area sanitation conditions and to promote the availability of reading materials for everyone. The contents of the law library assist inmates in basic research and document preparation. The law library also houses law books that are from donated sources and are not required by policy to be replaced when lost or destroyed. A copy machine and typewriters are available for use at the law library. Paper supplies such as carbon paper and typing paper are supplied. Most legal research is conducted on the TRULINCS Electronic Law Library computers.
UNICOR: The USP Marion UNICOR facility is an Electronics Cable Factory. The cable factory produces various electronic work including cables, cable assemblies, etc. The camp does not house a UNICOR facility.
Commissary: Inmates are permitted to shop once a week on a designated day, which is determined by their registration number. A monthly spending limit of $360.00 is imposed. Food, snacks, drinks, clothing, shoes, and electronics can be purchased.
Recreation Services: Scheduled activities at USP Marion include sports, athletics, arts, crafts, music, and entertainment. Leisure activities include organized and informal games, sports, physical fitness, table games, hobby crafts, music program, intramural activities, cultural events, movies, and talent and stage shows. Hobby Craft includes leather kits, wood crafts with craft sticks or craft picks, painting, and other forms consistent with institution guidelines. In-cell Hobby Craft includes crocheting, knitting, drawing with pens and pencils, beadwork, and card making. No leather crafts or oil painting is authorized in housing units. Art activities, a wellness program, running events, and outdoor entertainment including concerts and inspirational and motivational speakers, as well as musical instruments, are available.
Admissions and Orientation (A&O) Handbook – This document provides you with general information about the institution, programs, rules, and regulations that you will encounter during your confinement. Familiarizing yourself with this information and knowing your responsibilities will help you to adjustment to institution life.
- USP Marion Admissions & Orientation Handbook
- Spanish: USP Marion Guía de Admisión y Orientación
- USP Marion Camp Admissions & Orientation Handbook
Commissary List – In 1930 the Department of Justice authorized and established a Commissary at each Federal institution. The Commissary provides a bank type account for your money & for the procurement of articles not issued regularly as part of the institution administration. Funds deposited by your family, friends, or other sources are stored in your commissary account that we maintain.
Legal Activities – This document outlines the procedures for access to legal reference materials and legal counsel, and the opportunities that you will be afforded to prepare legal documents while incarcerated.
visitation Info
United States Penitentiary (USP) – Marion Medium – Visiting Hours
- Saturday 8:30am – 3:00pm
- Sunday 8:30am – 3:00pm
- Holidays 8:30am – 3:00pm
