United States Penitentiary, Atwater
Encyclopedia
United States Penitentiary, Atwater (USP Atwater) is a federal
prison
in the United States
. Located in a former portion of Castle Air Force Base
near the city of Atwater
in unincorporated
Merced County
, California
, it is 130 miles (209.2 km) from San Francisco.
USP Atwater is a high security facility housing adult male offenders. The institution also includes a minimum security satellite camp.
ed and stab
bed by two inmates
. An investigation has been initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
. Rivera was a resident of Chowchilla, California
.
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located in a former portion of Castle Air Force Base
Castle Air Force Base
Castle Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located northeast of Atwater, northwest of Merced and about east southeast of San Francisco, California....
near the city of Atwater
Atwater, California
Atwater is a city on U.S. Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of 151 feet . The population as of the 2010 census was 28,168.-Geography:...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Merced County
Merced County, California
Merced County , is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, north of Fresno and southeast of San Jose. As of the 2010 census, the population was 255,793, up from 210,554 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Merced...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, it is 130 miles (209.2 km) from San Francisco.
USP Atwater is a high security facility housing adult male offenders. The institution also includes a minimum security satellite camp.
Staff death
On June 20, 2008, Correctional Officer Jose Rivera, aged 22, was pronounced dead at a local Merced County hospital from wounds received when he was assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ed and stab
Stab
STAB or stab can mean:*The act of stabbing with a sharp instrument*Stab, a short form of stab jacket, another word for buoyancy compensator*Stab vest, a type of armour designed to resist knife attacks...
bed by two inmates
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. An investigation has been initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. Rivera was a resident of Chowchilla, California
Chowchilla, California
Chowchilla is a city in Madera County, California, United States. Chowchilla is located northwest of Madera, at an elevation of 240 feet . It is a principal city of the Madera–Chowchilla Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,720 at the 2010 census, up from 11,127 at the 2000...
.
Notable inmates
| Name | Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Calloway | 14601-076 | As of 2010, in USP, Atwater | Attempted to hijack and crash Fedex Flight 705 FedEx Flight 705 On April 7, 1994, FedEx Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 cargo jet ferrying electronics across the United States from Memphis, Tennessee to San Jose, California, experienced an attempted hijacking for the purpose of a suicide attack.... in 1994 |
| James Marcello James Marcello James J. “Little Jimmy, Jimmy Light” Marcello , also known as Jimmy "the Man" Marcello, is an imprisoned crime boss who was a front boss for the Chicago Outfit criminal organization in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s... |
99076-012 | As of 2010, transferred to MCC Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago The Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago is a federal remand center in the United States, located in downtown Chicago, Illinois, at the intersection of Clark and Van Buren Streets. It has a triangular footprint, and has an exercise yard for the prisoners on its roof... |
Chicago mob boss |
| Jerry Alfred Whitworth | 78095-011 | As of 2010, in USP, Atwater | Spy for Russia, was co-conspirator with John Walker in the 1980shttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,959212,00.html |