United States Penitentiary, Tucson

United States Penitentiary, Tucson
Location 9300 South Wilmot Road
Tucson, Arizona 85706
Status Operational
Security class High + minimum (camp)
Capacity 1,500 + 128 (camp)[1]
Population 1,416 + 134 (camp)[2] (as of January 6, 2011)
Opened February 5, 2007[3]
Managed by Federal Bureau of Prisons

United States Penitentiary, Tucson (USP Tucson) is a prison operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons located in Tucson, Arizona. Located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Downtown Tucson near Interstate 10 and Wilmot Road, the institution is part of a larger Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) that includes Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson.[4] The high security facility housed 1,416 male inmates and an additional 134 inmates in the satellite minimum security camp as of January 6, 2011.[2] The prison mainly receives inmates from federal court proceedings in the District of Arizona.[4]

Contents

History

The Federal Bureau of Prisons drafted a report on March 28, 2001 naming Tucson as an ideal site for a new federal prison housing either 1,100 medium security or 1,000 high security inmates. A hearing was arranged the following May.[5]

Construction was completed in 2005 at a cost of about $100 million, but additional preparations took over a year before inmates could be received. The 584,000-square-foot (54,300 m2) facility is situated on a 640-acre (2.6 km2) property and designed for 1,500 inmates, though officials had at one time planned to limit the population to around 960. The minimum-security work camp provides labor for day-to-day operations of the federal prison complex. It has been described as "its own little city" by Josias Salazar, executive assistant of the prison complex. The opening of the penitentiary on February 5, 2007 worsened a local shortage of prison officers and was cited by residents for adding to the street traffic generated by the various prison facilities.[1][3]

Incidents

The penitentiary went into lockdown on May 28, 2009 after several inmates were hospitalized from fights involving improvised weapons.[6] Another inmate, Joseph William Nichols, was sentenced to 33 more months after being caught on August 12, 2009 with a concealed plastic shank that had been fashioned from his prison chair. A search of the kitchen where Nichols had been assigned resulted in the discovery of hidden contraband packages containing weapons and drug paraphernalia.[7]

Media coverage

In July 2010, a San Diego CityBeat reporter mailed former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham to inquire about his time at the prison's work camp halfway into his 100-month sentence for tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud.[8][9] Cunningham, who has become an advocate of prison reform,[10] responded in a handwritten letter that he spends his days there teaching fellow inmates to obtain their GED.[10] He wrote: "[Too] many students have severe learning disabilities from either drugs or genetic[s]. During the past 4 years only one of my students was unable to graduate—I taught him life skills, using a calculator to add, subtract, [multiply and divide]. This way he could at least balance a check book."[8]

Notable inmates

Inmate Number Status Description
Tony Alamo (Bernie Lazar Hoffman)[11] 00305-112 Life imprisonment[12] Child sexual abuse
Randy "Duke" Cunningham[9] 94405-198 To be released June 4, 2013[13] Tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud
Steven Dale Green[14] 20848-058 Life imprisonment[15] Mahmudiyah killings
Jaan Laaman[16] 10372-016 To be released November 14, 2038[17] Criminal conspiracy, bombing
Jared Lee Loughner[18] 15213-196 Currently undergoing treatment at a federal psychiatric clinic in Springfield, Missouri.[19] Charged with committing the 2011 Tucson shooting[20]
William Leonard Pickard[21] 82687-011 Life imprisonment[22] LSD production
Timothy P. Villagomez[23] 00590-005 To be released December 17, 2015[24] Bribery, conspiracy to defraud, theft, wire fraud

See also

Arizona portal
Government of the United States portal

References

  1. ^ a b Tim Ellis (December 28, 2006). "Federal prison nearly ready". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/east/article_4d63b91c-e76d-5094-88e0-52d3356f76c3.html. Retrieved August 17, 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "Weekly Population Report". Federal Bureau of Prisons. January 6, 2011. http://www.bop.gov/locations/weekly_report.jsp. Retrieved January 10, 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Dale Quinn (February 2, 2007). "Guard drain strains Tucson prisons". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_6a7dd900-3942-5cf6-a13e-b477f3c5e395.html. Retrieved August 17, 2010. 
  4. ^ a b "USP Tucson". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/tcp/index.jsp. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  5. ^ "Hearing on new federal prison". Arizona Daily Star. May 1, 2001. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADSB&s_site=azstarnet&f_site=azstarnet&f_sitename=Arizona+Daily+Star%2C+The+%28AZ%29&p_multi=ADSB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_text_direct-0=0EED26DBF0B265BB&p_field_direct-0=document_id. Retrieved August 17, 2010. 
  6. ^ Alexis Huicochea (May 29, 2009). "Tucson federal prison remains on lockdown after inmate fights". Arizona Daily Star. http://azstarnet.com/news/article_6dabbf1d-66f2-58dd-90a7-307c4c9ac5ff.html. Retrieved August 17, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Federal prison inmate in Tucson gets more time". Associated Press. KGUN-TV. October 22, 2009. http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=11369395. Retrieved August 17, 2010. 
  8. ^ a b Dave Maass (August 11, 2010). "From Tucson with love". San Diego CityBeat. http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-8024-from-tucson-with-love.html. Retrieved August 17, 2010. 
  9. ^ a b "Plea Agreement by Randy "Duke" Cunningham and the U.S. Attorney". 2005. http://www.dukecunningham.org/bibliography/plea-agreement.html. Retrieved 2005-12-05. 
  10. ^ a b Jesse Zwick (August 11, 2010). "Randy “Duke” Cunningham: Prison Reform Advocate". The Washington Independent. http://washingtonindependent.com/94507/randy-duke-cunningham-prison-reform-advocate. Retrieved August 25, 2010. 
  11. ^ "Evangelist guilty of taking minors across state lines for sex". CNN. July 24, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/24/arkansas.evangelist.trial/. Retrieved May 25, 2010. 
  12. ^ "Inmate Locator: Bernie Lazar Hoffman". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Hoffman&Middle=Lazar&FirstName=Bernie&Race=&Sex=&Age=&x=0&y=0. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  13. ^ "Inmate Locator: Randall Harold Cunningham". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Cunningham&Middle=Harold&FirstName=Randall&Race=&Sex=&Age=&x=0&y=0. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  14. ^ "Life for US soldier's Iraq crimes". BBC News. 2009-09-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8239206.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-04. 
  15. ^ "Inmate Locator: Steven Dale Green". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Green&Middle=Dale&FirstName=Steven&Race=&Sex=&Age=&x=0&y=0. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  16. ^ "Suspect proclaims duty to escape, judge refuses bond". Tri City Herald. Associated Press. November 7, 1984. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GVs1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=lIUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2459,2067365. Retrieved August 16, 2010. 
  17. ^ "Inmate Locator: Jaan Laaman". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Laaman&Middle=&FirstName=Jaan&Race=&Sex=&Age=&x=0&y=0. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  18. ^ "Inmate Locator: Jared Lee Loughner". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=jared&Middle=&LastName=loughner&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=1&y=0. Retrieved January 10, 2011. 
  19. ^ Lacey, Marc (May 25, 2011). "Suspect in Shooting of Giffords Ruled Unfit for Trial". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/us/26loughner.html. Retrieved May 26, 2011. 
  20. ^ "Tucson shooting suspect held without bail". KNXV-TV. January 9, 2011. http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/national/suspect-jared-loughner-faces-federal-charges-in-tucson-shooting. Retrieved January 12, 2011. 
  21. ^ Peter Wilkinson (July 2001). "The Acid King". Rolling Stone. http://www.scribd.com/doc/8345280/Wilkinson-The-Acid-King-Pickard-LSD-Bust-Rolling-Stone-Mag-2001. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  22. ^ "Inmate Locator: William Leonard Pickard". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=Pickard&Middle=Leonard&FirstName=William&Race=&Sex=&Age=&x=0&y=0. Retrieved August 15, 2010. 
  23. ^ Eaton, Kristi (April 27, 2009). "Villagomez resigns". Saipan Tribune. http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=89728. Retrieved January 15, 2011. 
  24. ^ "Inmate Locator: Timothy P. Villagomez". Federal Bureau of Prisons. http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=Timothy&Middle=P&LastName=Villagomez&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 

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