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Bureau of Prisons

An illustration with a pale yellow background shows, at center, a woman in an orange prison uniform with her right hand on her stomach. She is writing a grievance on sheets of paper that are flying over her head. Over one of the pages is the word "Reject." On the upper left corner, there is a drawing of FCI Aliceville, a prison. On the lower right corner, this is a view of two floors of prison cell doors, with a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. Scattered around the illustration are gray and orange blocks and shapes, and over the entire illustration, there is a grid made up of thin light purple lines.
Feature June 17
‘Rejected’: How Federal Prisons Stonewall Grievances and Deny Care for Years
A law forces people in federal prisons to file grievances before they can sue in court. But less than 2% of filings are granted.
By , , and Joseph Shapiro
A photo shows people walking in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.
Closing Argument June 6
How The Supreme Court Is Tightening Early Prison Release
In recent decisions, the justices restricted the bipartisan First Step Act that President Donald Trump signed in his first term.
By
A black and white photo composite shows a photo of a Black woman wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and a black vest holding a uniform, standing in front of a building. In what looks like a double exposure effect, a photo of trees and fencing is visible, as well as an image of the outline of a map of Texas, with the word “Bryan” in the center.
News March 27
A Women’s Prison Conceals a Sinister Secret: Staff Sexual Misconduct, Accusers Say
Some employees at a Texas federal prison that holds high-profile women including Ghislaine Maxwell said they faced retaliation for reporting abuse.
By and Erik Ortiz
A photo shows a silhouette of a person, wearing a Statue of Liberty crown, holding a transgender pride flag. The U.S. Supreme Court building is in the background.
News February 19
Federal Prisons Bar Gender-Affirming Care for Trans People
‘People will die,’ an advocate warns, as standard treatments for gender dysphoria are replaced with therapy and antidepressants after Trump’s order.
By
An illustration shows two people facing each other at a desk. A White, female prison psychologist wearing half of a correctional officer's uniform looks in the direction of an incarcerated person with his back to the viewer. A speech bubble is shown in front of the incarcerated person.
News January 26
Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves
With fewer and fewer employees to run the prisons, psychologists were repeatedly forced to act as guards.
By
An illustration shows three people on patient beds inside a dark room, with the orange sky visible through the window. On the right side, there are dark silhouettes of dialysis machines and tubes with puddles of water on the floor.
Feature December 16, 2025
Women Are Sent to This Federal Prison for Dialysis. They Say It’s Killing Them.
Patients at Carswell medical prison in Texas describe unsanitary conditions, missed treatments and substandard care.
By Kaley Johnson
Feature October 30, 2025
Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars. These Keepsakes Are All They Have Left.
Five families reflect on the possessions they got back, and the ones they didn’t.
By and
An aerial view of a tan brick prison facility with cars parked in front.
Closing Argument July 19, 2025
Why Closing Prisons — Even Bad Ones — Is Complicated
From politics to economics, closing old or bad prisons is not always straightforward. Even some incarcerated people have mixed emotions.
By
A Black woman with braids and a pink shirt holds her hand on her chest while holding a golden cross necklace.
Looking Back July 17, 2025
The First Trans Prisoner Who Took Her Case All the Way to the Supreme Court
From her prison cell, Dee Farmer drafted the lawsuit that became one of the most cited cases of all time, Farmer v. Brennan.
By
A photo illustration with a black and white photograph of the exterior of a prison in the background with red rectangles overlaying it. In the middle is a semi-circle with the typewritten text from several phrases, including “tortured for 18 hours with an..” and “I began to feel a sharp pain on the left side of my chest.” Below the text is a photo of an officer's hands on the wrist of a man in handcuffs.
News July 11, 2025
Shackled For Days and Weeks: A Federal Report Finds Widespread Abuse in Prisons
The report, by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog, comes after an investigative series by The Marshall Project and NPR exposed similar abuses.
By Joseph Shapiro, NPR
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