Federal Prison Comparison Paper

Federal Prison ComparisonPaper In society today there are more criminals in the boundaries of the state prison system than there are in the federal prison system. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics (2009) the United States state prison system has 1,405,622 within their jurisdiction; whereas, the United States federal prison system has 208,118 within their jurisdiction.The reason that the federal prison system has only 208,118 within their jurisdiction is that this system only deals with “the body of law consisting of the United States Constitution, federal statutes and regulations, United States treaties, and federal common law” (Black’s Law Dictionary, (1990). This paper will contrast and compare the various federal prisons that housed the following individuals who committed crimes against the federal statutes: Martha Stewart, Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken, Manuel Noriega, Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, Alphonse Capone, and the infamous John Gotti.

It shall also provide the differences from one prison to another.Compare and Contrast the SimilaritiesAccording to [ (Masters, 2004) ], the judge sentenced Martha Stewart (63) to Alderson Federal Prison Camp, which is a minimum security facility, located in Alderson West Virginia. Martha Stewart and Peter E. Bacanovic her former Merrill Lynch and Company broker, whose conviction charge of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators about her ImClone System Inc., Stock. The sentencing for each of these defendants netted five months a piece in prison.

The judge informed them that they could both stay free on bail during the application process for an appeal of their guilty verdict. Martha Stewart requested if she could start serving her time immediately, stating that “she wanted to get this nightmare behind her.” Alderson Federal Prison Camp sits on 105-acre, founded in 1927.According to, Alderson is the United States longest-standing federal prison for women.

Alderson has housed many legendary inmates, which include the famous jazz singer Billie Holiday, World War II misinformationist “Tokyo Rose” “D” Aquino and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Sera Moore, each were accused of trying to kill President Gerald R. Ford. In 1988, the Alderson Federal Prison Camp changed to a minimum security facility and as of presently the facility population is about 1,040 women, who convictions stem from drug offenses as well as white-collar crimes such as fraud.Ivan Boesky (50), sentenced to a federal prison facility in Lompoc, California, the facility location is approximately 175 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California, founded in July 1959.

The Lompoc correctional prison has three different facilities: the federal correctional institution that housed low - level security offenders, who are serving anywhere, from one to 15 years for drug offenses to other nonviolent crimes. This facility has a farm operation, and a United States Penitentiary that house medium security offenders, and adjacent to this facility is a satellite prison camp, established in July 1991 to house minimum security offenders. This facility is also adjacent to Vandenberg Air Force Base (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009).Michael Milken, the “Junk Bond King” sentenced to the Federal Correctional Institution in Pleasanton, California. According to the Board of Prisons this institution accommodates co-ed inmates; meaning it house male and female offenders who have committed low to minimum level crimes. The females are low level offenders, and the males are minimum level offenders.

This facility located in the San Francisco Bay area on a military base; Pleasanton was previously a federal youth prison. Milken 40 month sentence was reduced because he tested positive for prostate cancer.The former General Manuel Noriega (58) was Dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989 (Rohter, 1992). On or around 1992, General Noriega started serving his sentence of 30 years for eight counts of cocaine trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering.

The general only served 17 years because of good behavior. According to (Rohter, 1992), Noriega sentenced took him to a place in a Federal Detention Center located in Miami, Florida. This facility usually house federal offenders that are under the United States Marshal Service.Timothy McVeigh (33) sentenced to death on 11 federal offenses because he bombed the Alfred P.

Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. McVeigh’s execution took place on June 11, 2001 in the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. The high security federal complex where his execution took place located on Highway 63, which is just two miles south of the city of Terre Haute. McVeigh had two co-conspirators Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier.Terry Nichols (42) sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, only because the jury deadlocked on the death penalty.

The sentenced stemmed from his conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and involuntary manslaughter of eight law enforcement officers. Nichols sentence took him to an Administrative-Maximum United States Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado. Some of the other infamous offenders housed on this cell block (Bombers Row) at this facility are Ramzi Yousef and Ted Kaczynski.One of the most legendary offenders is Alphonse Capone “Scarface” (32); he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion and prohibition charges. According to the (Pasley, Reprint 2004) October 17, 1931, Capone’s 11 year sentence, and $50,000 dollar fine landed him in the Federal Prison in Atlanta, Georgia, but he manipulated the system and staff that the federal government decided to seek out another facility.

So in August 1934, the United States Attorney General Homer Cummings had Capone relocated to Alcatraz Federal Prison along with 52 other inmates. This federal facility nicknamed (America’s Devil Island). It is believed that Alcatraz was considered a maximum security level facility only because of the type of inmates it housed. These inmates housed at Alcatraz were those who escaped, inmates that were out of control, and infamous criminals.

John Gotti (52) sentenced to the Federal Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, for The RICO Act. Gotti sentenced to multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole. The federal penitentiary was nine miles from the city of Marion, and 300 miles from Chicago, and 120 miles from Saint Louis, Missouri. This was a medium security level prison, and according to the Bureau of Prison; the classification was wrong and therefore a correction as a federal correctional institution was merited. Marion set adjacent to a Satellite Prison Camp that housed minimum security male offenders.Compare and Contrast the Differences There were only a few differences that distinguished one federal facility from another.

For instance, all federal penitentiaries are basically the same in definition whether it is a prison, a penal institution or an adult correctional facility, which is “a facility used for confinement of felons who have been convicted of committing a federal offense. The only exception is a prison camp, which is a minimum security level facility used to house trustworthy prisoners, who generally work for the federal government (Garner, 1990, p. 1232).” The other noted differences are the various levels that many federal prison facilities have.

According to the (Bureau of Prisons: Prison Types & General Information) there are nine different levels of correctional facilities. The levels are as follows: minimum security or Federal Prison Camps, dormitory housing, low staff to inmate ratio, and limited or no perimeter fencing. Martha Stewart confinement took place in a camp of this sort. Second, are the low security Federal Correctional Institutions, which have double fenced perimeters. Dormitory and cubicle housing with work programs this Federal Correctional Institution has a low security facility that houses female offenders, and adjacent to this facility is an administrative detention facility, which houses adult males and a minimum security satellite camp for female offenders.Third, is the medium security facility that is also a part of the Federal Correctional Institution, and the United States Prison, this facility has a powerful perimeter, which generally has a double fence with an electronic detection, mostly cell housing.

Fourth, is the high security facility, which is known as the United States Penitentiaries that has very secured perimeters, which has walls, and reinforced fences. The prisons cells or either single or multiple occupancy, a very control environment.Fifth, is a high security facility also known as a United States Penitentiary, very secured perimeters with walls and reinforced fences, cells are either multiple or singles housing, high staff to inmate ratio, close control inmate movement. The ADX means an Administrative-Maximum facility, which house criminals like Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols at either Terre Haute or the Supermax in Florence, Colorado.

Although there are still several distinguished made among the correctional complexes, the administrative facilities, the satellite camps, and the federal satellite low security and secure female facilities. These facilities vary by possessing other facilities adjacent to them or a military base.ConclusionIn conclusion today’s society, as a group of citizens face numerous people who commit various crimes and consequently are subjected to different punishments. Many of these crimes can fit various categories; such as crimes that fall under the federal government jurisdiction, which generally places a criminal in one of the above federal prison facilities. Yes, the federal prison system is similar to that of the states; basically the only difference is that the federal prison system mandates come from federal statutes; whereas the state prison system mandating comes from state legislators.

All federal prisons governance comes by the Bureau of Prisons, and the Bureau has 117 facilities, six regional offices, one Central Office (headquarters), two training facilities for staff, and 22 correctional offices. Furthermore, according to the (Bureau of Prisons: Prison Types & General Information) the Bureau’s responsibility is to protect the safety of the public and maintain that each of the offenders are housed at one of their institutions is allowed to complete his or her sentence in a safe, and humane way.