The Bureau of Prisons is shuttering several federal correctional institutions across the U.S. due to what it says are “extreme staffing challenges” and issues with deteriorating infrastructure.

The BOP announced Wednesday in a press release that it would close six facilities, affecting a total of about 500 bureau employees at the following locations:

• Beaumont FCI Low in Texas
• Big Spring FCI and Satellite Camp in Texas
• La Tuna FCI, FSL (Federal Satellite Low) and Satellite Camp in Texas
• Lexington FMC Satellite Camp in Kentucky
• Petersburg FCI Low in Virginia
• Taft FCI in California

Employees currently working at the Beaumont, Lexington and Petersburg institutions will be able to transfer “to other units onsite or nearby,” BOP said. But employees stationed at Big Spring and La Tuna will be subject to a reduction in force (RIF), the press release said.

The permanent closures of La Tuna and Taft will impact “minimal staff,” the agency said, since the two facilities are not currently in operation.

“These actions are necessary to address longstanding infrastructure and staffing challenges while ensuring the bureau remains focused on its core mission of operating safe, secure and efficient correctional facilities,” BOP Director William K. Marshall III said in the press release. “We will support our workforce throughout this transition and responsibly position the agency for the future.”

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents BOP workers, warned that the closures will exacerbate an already difficult staffing situation and worsen overcrowding in federal institutions.

Brandy Moore White, national president of AFGE’s Council of Prison Locals, said she was “deeply concerned” about the bureau’s decision, especially considering it comes after the agency received additional funding last year to address personnel and infrastructure issues.

In 2025, BOP received nearly $5 billion under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with allocations of about $3 billion for staffing and training and $2 billion for infrastructure improvements.

“The Council of Prison Locals worked diligently with lawmakers to secure this historic investment to address chronic staffing shortages, modernize aging infrastructure and strengthen the bureau’s mission — not reduce its footprint or displace dedicated correctional professionals,” White said Thursday. “We urge the bureau to provide full transparency regarding how these decisions were reached.”

In its press release this week, BOP said the additional funding is “not sufficient to fully resolve the operational and infrastructure challenges that have accumulated over decades.”

The agency is currently facing a backlog of over $4 billion in deferred maintenance costs, according to the press release.

AFGE is urging Congress to intervene to prevent the anticipated facility closures, arguing that BOP should address the personnel and maintenance issues with the funding it has already received “to address those exact challenges.”

“Those investments should be used to strengthen the federal prison system, not dismantle it,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said Thursday in a letter addressed to lawmakers. “Closing these facilities will make communities less safe [and] place greater strain on already overworked correctional staff.”

BOP has faced significant workforce challenges for years, including persistent understaffing and high use of overtime hours. The Government Accountability Office has named the management of the federal prison system as an item on its high-risk list, in part due to the workforce issues at BOP.

The agency lost more than 1,400 employees last year, many of whom took jobs at Immigration and Customs Enforcement “due to the higher salaries and signing bonuses being offered by that agency,” AFGE said.

In January, BOP announced that it would offer retention bonuses to certain agency employees, in an effort to mitigate significant understaffing. But union officials have warned that permanent pay reforms will still be necessary to fully address the issue. In January, House and Senate lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation attempting to secure a 35% pay raise for BOP staff.

In September 2025, BOP also canceled its collective bargaining agreement with AFGE, impacting more than 30,000 bargaining unit employees. AFGE Council of Prison Locals 33 is suing BOP over the contract termination.

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