United States Penitentiary, Victorville
Encyclopedia
The United States Penitentiary, Victorville (USP Victorville) is a high-security federal
prison
for men in the United States
. Part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville
, USP Victorville is located in Victorville
, California
, on the grounds of the former George Air Force Base
.
for US$101.4 million (security system constructed by Buford Goff and Associates, Inc.) and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons
(B.O.P).
It opened on October 21, 2004 and is designed to house 960 male inmates in 6 housing units. USP Victorville is constructed very similar to the new federal penitentiaries at Atwater, California
; Inez, Kentucky
; Canaan, Pennsylvania
; Coleman, Florida
; Hazelton, West Virginia
; Pennington Gap, Virginia
; McCreary, Kentucky
; Terre Haute, Indiana
and Tucson, Arizona
.
Six V-shaped buildings (units 1-3 on east side, units 4-6 on west side) facing each other and a larger maintenance building surround a central yard with a tower in the middle. Six additional towers are lined along the rectangular shaped facility. The facility is surrounded by a lethal electrical double fence, a 2 m (8 ft) brickstone wall on its northern side and a view protection fence on its western side. Cells are approximately 4 × 2 m (13 × 7 feet) in size equipped with a bunkbed, a stainless steel sink-toilet combination and a small table with a non-removable stool. Cells are usually occupied by two inmates and are air conditioned. The administrative and disciplinary unit (SHU) can hold 238 inmates. Cells in the disciplinary unit have showers and are occupied by three inmates when overcrowding occurs (one inmate is forced to sleep on the floor in such cases).
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...
for men in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville
Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville
The Federal Correctional Complex, Victorville is a collection of prisons, each part of the United States Federal Prison system. All three institutions are located on the same campus in Adelanto, 9 miles from Victorville in San Bernardino County, California...
, USP Victorville is located in Victorville
Victorville, California
Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
, 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...
, on the grounds of the former George Air Force Base
George Air Force Base
George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits, 8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold...
.
Construction
USP Victorville is a 630,000 square foot (58,500 m²) high-security prison constructed by Hensel Phelps Construction Co. and Crosby Group of Redwood City, CaliforniaRedwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
for US$101.4 million (security system constructed by Buford Goff and Associates, Inc.) and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons
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...
(B.O.P).
It opened on October 21, 2004 and is designed to house 960 male inmates in 6 housing units. USP Victorville is constructed very similar to the new federal penitentiaries at Atwater, California
United States Penitentiary, Atwater
United States Penitentiary, 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 from San Francisco....
; Inez, Kentucky
United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy
The United States Penitentiary Big Sandy, located in unincorporated Martin County, Kentucky, near Inez, is a high security facility housing male inmates. An adjacent minimum security satellite prison camp also houses male inmates. It was completed in 2003....
; Canaan, Pennsylvania
United States Penitentiary, Canaan
United States Penitentiary, Canaan is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility located in Canaan Township, Pennsylvania, near Waymart.USP Canaan is approximately east of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The United States Penitentiary-Canaan is a high security prison that houses male inmates. A satellite camp,...
; Coleman, Florida
United States Penitentiary, Coleman
United States Penitentiary, Coleman may refer to one of the following prisons that are part of the Federal Correctional Complex at Coleman, Florida:* United States Penitentiary I, Coleman* United States Penitentiary II, Coleman...
; Hazelton, West Virginia
United States Penitentiary, Hazelton
The United States Penitentiary, Hazelton is a high-security federal prison for men in the United States. Hazelton also contains a Secure Female Facility and a smaller satellite camp for minimum security male inmates.-History:...
; Pennington Gap, Virginia
United States Penitentiary, Lee
United States Penitentiary, Lee is a prison operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is located in the Lee County Industrial Park in unincorporated Lee County, Virginia, near Pennington Gap, off U.S. Route 58 at the intersection of State Route 638. The facility is east of Jonesville...
; McCreary, Kentucky
United States Penitentiary, McCreary
The United States Penitentiary McCreary is a high security federal prison in the United States, located in unincorporated McCreary County, Kentucky, near Pine Knot....
; Terre Haute, Indiana
Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute
The Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, is a federal prison for adult males located at the intersection of State Road 63 and Springhill Drive, two miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana United States...
and Tucson, Arizona
Federal Correctional Complex, Tucson
Tucson Federal Correctional Complex is a prison complex operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Located 10 miles southeast of Tucson, Arizona near Interstate 10 on Wilmot Road, the complex consists of:...
.
Six V-shaped buildings (units 1-3 on east side, units 4-6 on west side) facing each other and a larger maintenance building surround a central yard with a tower in the middle. Six additional towers are lined along the rectangular shaped facility. The facility is surrounded by a lethal electrical double fence, a 2 m (8 ft) brickstone wall on its northern side and a view protection fence on its western side. Cells are approximately 4 × 2 m (13 × 7 feet) in size equipped with a bunkbed, a stainless steel sink-toilet combination and a small table with a non-removable stool. Cells are usually occupied by two inmates and are air conditioned. The administrative and disciplinary unit (SHU) can hold 238 inmates. Cells in the disciplinary unit have showers and are occupied by three inmates when overcrowding occurs (one inmate is forced to sleep on the floor in such cases).
Administrative information
- Inmate address: Inmate Name and Register Number, USP Victorville, P.O. Box 5300, Adelanto CA 93201-5300
- Staff address: P.O. Box 5400, Adelanto, CA 92301
- Phone: 760-530-5000
- Fax: 760-530-5103
- Email: VIP/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV
- Visiting Hours: Sat-Mon 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Judicial District: Central California
List of wardens
- J. L. Norwood
- J.E. Gunja
- P.M. Schultz
- J.E. Slade
- W.J. Jusino
- Francisco J. Quintana
- R.P. Guttierrez
Prisoners
Prisoners have access to the text-based e-mail program known as TRULINCS (Trust Fund Limited Inmate Communication System). Prisoners are only allowed 13,000 characters per e-mail, and attachments cannot be sent, received, or viewed. Inmates are not allowed to retain more than two newspapers, 10 magazines and 25 letters in their cells. Inmates are allowed to place phone calls to up to 30 approved numbers. Phone calls are restricted to 15 minutes per call and five hours per month. Inmates pay for their phone calls through their trust accounts. Inmates can buy additional food, hygiene articles and clothes from commissary for a maximum of $290 a month.Daily routine
Inmates get counted 5-6 times a day at 12:01 a.m., 3:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. (stand up count) , 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. (on weekends and holidays). Initial work movements start at 4:30 a.m. and inmates must be up at 7:30 a.m. All inmates must be back to their cells at 10:00 p.m.Notable inmates
- Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Cuban FiveCuban FiveThe Cuban Five, also known as the Miami Five are five Cuban intelligence officers convicted in Miami of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, and other illegal activities in the United States...
, was incarcerated there and after inmates went on a work strike shortly after activation of the facility in 2004. - John Walker LindhJohn Walker LindhJohn Phillip Walker Lindh is a United States citizen who was captured as an enemy combatant during the United States' 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. He is now serving a 20-year prison sentence in connection with his participation in Afghanistan's Taliban army...
, the so-called "American Taliban" fighter was incarcerated here until he was sentenced to 20 years at the ADX FlorenceADX FlorenceThe United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison for men that is located in unincorporated Fremont County, Colorado, United States, south of Florence. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies...
SuperMax in Colorado. - Richard Dale MorrisonRichard Dale MorrisonRichard Dale Morrison pled guilty to Damaging Religious Property for setting fire to an all-black Church of Christ in Henderson, Nevada, in 1996...
, charged with setting fire to a black church in 1996, later attacked fellow inmate John Walker Lindh (above) - William Leonard PickardWilliam Leonard PickardWilliam Leonard Pickard is one of two people convicted in the largest lysergic acid diethylamide manufacturing case in history. In 2000, while moving the LSD laboratory, Pickard and Clyde Apperson were pulled over while driving a Ryder rental truck and a follow car...
, a Harvard graduate, was the mastermind behind the missile-silo LSD lab that was discovered by the DEA in November 2000 in Wamego, Kansas. - James Ratliff - Rapper known as HusalahHusalahHusalah is an American rapper from Pittsburg, California. He began his career with the Pittsburg group the Mob Figaz, whose first album, C-Bo's Mob Figaz, was released in 1999...
from the rap group the Mob FigazMob FigazMob Figaz is a hip hop group from the Bay Area, California, that was formed by C-Bo. The original members include The Jacka, Husalah, Rydah J. Klyde and Fed-X from Pittsburg, California, and AP.9, from Oakland....
. - Ingmar Guandique, who later became a suspect in the murder of Chandra LevyChandra LevyChandra Ann Levy was an American intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., who disappeared in May 2001. She was presumed murdered after her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek Park in May 2002...
Inmates deaths
- Peter Steven Scopazzi (Reg. No. 71855-004) died on 16 April 2005 from injuries he received during a fight on 11 April 2005
- Tony Richard Padilla (Reg. No. 60031-097) died on 12 August 2006 from injuries he received during a fight on 8 August 2006
- Unknown inmate murdered on 30 December 2006
- Gregory Francis Ritter (Reg. No. 94543-022) died on 13 May 2009 from injuries he received during a fight that day
- Unknown inmate died on 17 August 2009 from injuries he received during a fight on 16 August 2009
- Cedric Vasquez (Reg. No. 532089-231) died on 20 June 2010 from suicide.
See also
External links
- USP Victorville at the Federal Bureau of PrisonsFederal Bureau of PrisonsThe 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...
(Official site)