United States Penitentiary McCreary is a high-security federal prison in Pine Knot, Kentucky. It is also known as USP McCreary. The facility houses male inmates. USP McCreary Camp is located adjacent to the main institution. Male inmates are also housed at the camp.
Table of contents
- USP McCreary Contact Information
- United States Penitentiary McCreary Inmate Information
- USP McCreary Prison Services Information
- USP McCreary Educational, Library, and Recreation Offerings
- Visitation Information for USP McCreary
- USP McCreary in the News
- More Information About United States Penitentiary McCreary
USP McCreary Contact Information
Facility Address & Contact Information
United States Penitentiary McCreary
330 Federal Way
Pine Knot, KY 42635
Phone: 606-354-7000
Fax: 606-354-7190
Email: [email protected]
BOP Website: Bureau of Prisons Page
Wikipedia: Wikipedia Page
Inmate Correspondence Address
USP McCreary
Inmate Name and Registration Number
USP McCreary
United States Penitentiary
P.O. Box 3000
Pine Knot, KY 42635
USP McCreary Camp
Inmate Name and Registration Number
USP McCreary Camp
Satellite Prison Camp
P.O. Box 3000
Pine Knot, KY 42635
How to Send Money
Funds cannot be sent directly to inmates. See our page on sending money to federal prisoners.
United States Penitentiary McCreary Inmate Information
Inmate Gender
Male Inmates
Prison Security Level
Facility Location
USP McCreary is located approximately 88 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee, 125 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky, and 208 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio.
BOP Region
BOP Institution Code
MCR for USP McCreary
Medical Care Level
Level 2. See our page on Medical Care Levels and Procedures for more information.
Mental Health Care Level
Level 2.
Judicial District
Population Number
USP McCreary houses approximately 1,435 inmates. The camp houses around 75 inmates.
USP McCreary Prison Services Information
Background
United States Penitentiary McCreary is a high-security federal prison in Pine Knot, Kentucky, which houses male inmates. It was opened in 2003. United States Penitentiary McCreary Camp, which also houses male inmates, is adjacent to the main institution.
As with many high-security facilities, little information about this prison is available. However, the media has reported numerous violent incidents at USP McCreary, including inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff assaults. Local media have quoted some staff members from the prison as fearing for their lives due to the risks involved in their jobs at the facility. In October 2013, a controversial story aired on a local television station concerning the prison staff working without pay due to the 2013 federal government shut- down, while the prison inmates still collected payment from their work. While not reported in the story, the inmates were paid not from federal government budgets but from an internal trust fund funded by inmate commissary purchases.
Notable inmates include:
- Gang leader Ronell Wilson (serving life for the murder of two New York City police detectives)
- Former hitman for the Bonanno crime family Thomas Pitera (serving a life sentence for murder, murder conspiracy, and racketeering)
- White supremacist Ricky Mungia (serving a life sentence for civil rights violations)
- Lawyer and financier Tim Durham (serving a 50-year sentence for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and securities fraud)
- Otis Jackson (confessed to the crimes that political activist Jamil Al-Amin is currently serving a life sentence for)
Media reports indicate that at least one inmate has been stabbed on the orders of the Nuestra Familia gang.
Inmate Housing
Inmates are housed in one-person and two-person cells within the twelve housing units. Camp inmates are housed in dormitories.
Health Services
Medical and dental sick calls, preventive health care services, emergency services, diagnosis and treatment of chronic infectious diseases, medications, dental care, eyeglasses, physical examination, and chronic care are available to inmates. Inmates must submit a triage form to receive routine care.
Psychology Services
USP McCreary and the satellite camp have psychologists for counseling and other mental health services. All inmates meet with a psychologist for an intake screening interview during their first 14 days at the institution. The Challenge Program is available to inmates interested in making positive lifestyle changes. Group therapy, personal counseling, and a self-help library are also available. Groups are regularly offered in stress management, anger management, and self-image.
Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
Neither facility offers the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Inmates can be referred to other facilities that provide the program. Both facilities offer Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP), and a Drug Education Class.
USP McCreary Educational, Library, and Recreation Offerings
Education Services
USP McCreary offers inmates GED, English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Continuing Education (ACE), and parenting programs. High school diplomas and post-secondary degrees are available through paid correspondence programs.
Advanced Occupational Education
McCreary federal prison and the camp do not offer any advanced occupational education programs.
Vocational Training
The main facility offers vocational training in Office Clerk, Residential Wiring, and Web Page Designer. The camp provides Master Gardener.
Apprenticeship
USP McCreary Prison offers HVAC, Painter, Cook, and Electrical apprenticeships. The camp provides Auto Mechanics, Cook, Landscape Management, Landscape Technician, Powerhouse Mechanics, and Welding.
Library Services
A leisure library is available in the Education Department. Inmates may check out books, magazines, reference materials, and newspapers. The law library is located in the Education Department and contains a variety of legal reference materials and the TRULINCS Electronic Law Library for use in preparing legal papers. Reference materials include the United States Code Annotated, Federal Reporter, Supreme Court Reporter, Bureau of Prisons Program Statements, institution supplements, indexes, and other legal materials.
UNICOR
USP McCreary’s UNICOR facility conducts Automated Data Processing (ADP), processing patents for the U.S. Patent Office.
Commissary
The total value of an inmate’s accumulated commissary items must stay within the monthly spending limitation of $360.00. In addition, inmates are authorized to have 60 postage stamps in their possession. At the commissary, inmates can purchase items such as snacks, food, drinks, clothing, electronics, and shoes.
Recreation Services
Recreation programs at USP McCreary federal prison include indoor and outdoor activities and range from individual arts and crafts programs to intramural team sports, such as softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball.
Visitation Information for USP McCreary
On Sunday and Saturday, visitation is held between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. On federal holidays visitation is held between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. See our page on prisoner visitation rules for more information.
USP McCreary in the News
Otis Jackson confessed to the crime that political activist Jamil Al-Amin is serving a life sentence and is being held at United States Penitentiary McCreary on unrelated charges.
In March 2013, a prisoner at USP McCreary was stabbed on the orders of Andrew Cenrantes, a leader of the Nuestra Familia gang who was imprisoned at USP Lewisburg.
More Information About United States Penitentiary McCreary
For a comprehensive look at life in federal prison, pick up a copy of Christopher Zoukis’ Federal Prison Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Surviving the Federal Bureau of Prisons. For more detailed information about USP McCreary, please buy a copy of the Directory of Federal Prisons: The Unofficial Guide to Bureau of Prisons Institutions by Christopher Zoukis.
Published Apr 24, 2018 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Aug 7, 2023 at 3:32 pm
