FCI Danbury (low-security)
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{{PrisonInfobox | |||
|name = Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury | |||
|security_level = Low (with adjacent minimum-security camp) | |||
|gender = Female and male | |||
|population = Approximately 793 | |||
|rdap = Yes | |||
|address = Route 37, Danbury, Connecticut 06811 | |||
}} | |||
== | '''Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury''' ('''FCI Danbury''') is a low-security United States federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut. It is run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The site sits in Fairfield County, in the western corner of the state near the New York line. The main institution holds women. An adjacent low-security unit holds men. A separate minimum-security camp sits on the same grounds.<ref name="bop">{{cite web |title=FCI Danbury |url=https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/dan/ |publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | ||
The prison opened in 1940. Over the decades its inmate population has shifted between men and women more than once. It is widely known as the prison where Piper Kerman served the sentence she later wrote about in ''Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison'', the memoir behind the Netflix series.<ref name="kermanbook">{{cite news |last=Kerman |first=Piper |title=Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison |work=Spiegel & Grau |date=2010 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
== | == Overview == | ||
FCI Danbury is a low-security facility. The custody design relies on double-fenced perimeters and staff supervision rather than the heavy controls of higher-security prisons. The campus includes the main low-security institution, a satellite low-security unit, and a minimum-security camp for inmates who need lighter custody.<ref name="bop" /> | |||
== | The total population runs in the high hundreds. Bureau records and reporting put the count at roughly 793, with about 46 of those held in the camp.<ref name="bop" /> The institution offers the Bureau's Residential Drug Abuse Program, along with commissary access, legal resources, and an admissions and orientation process for new arrivals.<ref name="bop" /> | ||
The | The prison serves the Bureau's Northeast Region. Its location near the New York metropolitan area has long made it a designation point for inmates from the Northeast.<ref name="bop" /> | ||
== | == History == | ||
== | FCI Danbury opened in 1940. It first held men. During World War II it housed several conscientious objectors who refused the draft, including the poet Robert Lowell and the activist James Peck.<ref name="prisonerresource">{{cite web |title=Federal Correctional Institution Danbury (FCI Danbury) |url=https://prisonerresource.com/resources/federal-prison-profiles/northeast-region-ner/federal-correctional-institution-danbury-fci-danbury |publisher=Zoukis Consulting Group |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | ||
The facility began taking female inmates in 1944. For a long stretch it operated as a co-educational site. In 1993 the Bureau converted Danbury into a women-only institution to ease a shortage of female bed space in the Northeast.<ref name="prisonerresource" /> | |||
[[ | That arrangement held for two decades. In August 2013 the Bureau announced it would convert Danbury back to a men's facility to address overcrowding in the male system. The transfer of female inmates began in April 2014. The plan drew objections from advocates and members of Congress, who argued that moving Northeast women to distant prisons cut them off from family and counsel.<ref name="prisonerresource" /> | ||
[[Category:Prisons | |||
[[Category: | The Bureau later restored a women's presence on the campus. A new women's unit, built at a reported cost of about $25 million, was completed in December 2016.<ref name="prisonerresource" /> | ||
In 2025 the Department of Justice ended its collective bargaining agreement with the prison workers' union at Danbury. The cancellation was part of a wider move against union contracts at federal facilities and removed negotiated protections for correctional officers and other staff at the institution.<ref name="ctmirror">{{cite news |title=Trump administration ends union contract with Danbury federal prison workers |url=https://ctmirror.org/2025/09/30/trump-federal-prison-union-contract-canceled-danbury/ |work=CT Mirror |date=2025-09-30 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
== Notable Inmates == | |||
'''Piper Kerman''' served roughly 13 months at Danbury in 2004 and 2005 after a 1998 guilty plea tied to a drug-money conspiracy. She wrote about the experience in her 2010 memoir ''Orange Is the New Black''. The book became a Netflix series of the same name and turned the prison into a fixture of popular reference.<ref name="kermanbook" /><ref name="prisonerresource" /> | |||
'''Lauryn Hill''', the musician, served about three months at Danbury in 2013. She had pleaded guilty to failing to file tax returns on more than $2 million in income.<ref name="prisonerresource" /> | |||
'''Leona Helmsley''', the New York real estate figure, served part of her sentence at Danbury in the early 1990s following a federal tax evasion conviction.<ref name="prisonerresource" /> | |||
'''[[Steve Bannon]]''', the political strategist and podcast host, served a four-month sentence at Danbury in 2024. He had been convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack. He reported to the prison on July 1, 2024, and was released on October 29, 2024.<ref name="cnbc">{{cite news |title=Steve Bannon released from prison after serving contempt of Congress sentence |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/29/steve-bannon-released-from-prison-after-serving-contempt-of-congress-sentence.html |work=CNBC |date=2024-10-29 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref><ref name="cnn">{{cite news |title=Steve Bannon begins serving 4-month sentence in federal prison for defying congressional subpoena |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/01/politics/steve-bannon-report-to-prison/index.html |work=CNN |date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
In 2025 reporting placed former Boston City Councilor '''Tania Fernandes Anderson''' at the low-security compound following a federal conviction.<ref name="bostonherald">{{cite news |title=Ex-Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson serving time in low-security Connecticut prison |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/10/22/ex-boston-city-councilor-tania-fernandes-anderson-serving-time-in-low-security-connecticut-prison/ |work=Boston Herald |date=2025-10-22 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> | |||
== Location and Visitation == | |||
FCI Danbury sits off Route 37 in Danbury, Connecticut, about 60 miles northeast of New York City. The mailing address for the main institution is Federal Correctional Institution, Route 37, Danbury, Connecticut 06811. The camp and the satellite low unit use separate mailing instructions, and inmate mail must carry the correct register number and unit to reach the right person.<ref name="bop" /> | |||
Visiting days, hours, and approval rules are set by the Bureau and can change. Visitors must be on an inmate's approved list before a visit. Current hours and procedures are posted on the institution's Bureau of Prisons page.<ref name="bop" /> | |||
== References == | |||
<references /> | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:(low-security), Facilities/FCI Danbury}} | |||
[[Category:Federal Prisons]] | |||
[[Category:Low-Security Facilities]] | |||
{{#seo: | |||
|title=FCI Danbury (Low-Security) — Federal Prison in Connecticut | Prisonpedia | |||
|description=FCI Danbury is a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, known from Orange Is the New Black. History, notable inmates including Steve Bannon, and visitation. | |||
|type=Article | |||
|site_name=Prisonpedia | |||
|locale=en_US | |||
|modified_time=2026-06-03 | |||
}} | |||
{{MetaDescription|FCI Danbury is a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut. History, gender changes, notable inmates including Piper Kerman and Steve Bannon, and visitation details.}} | |||
Latest revision as of 14:19, 3 June 2026
Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury (FCI Danbury) is a low-security United States federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut. It is run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The site sits in Fairfield County, in the western corner of the state near the New York line. The main institution holds women. An adjacent low-security unit holds men. A separate minimum-security camp sits on the same grounds.[1]
The prison opened in 1940. Over the decades its inmate population has shifted between men and women more than once. It is widely known as the prison where Piper Kerman served the sentence she later wrote about in Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, the memoir behind the Netflix series.[2]
Overview
FCI Danbury is a low-security facility. The custody design relies on double-fenced perimeters and staff supervision rather than the heavy controls of higher-security prisons. The campus includes the main low-security institution, a satellite low-security unit, and a minimum-security camp for inmates who need lighter custody.[1]
The total population runs in the high hundreds. Bureau records and reporting put the count at roughly 793, with about 46 of those held in the camp.[1] The institution offers the Bureau's Residential Drug Abuse Program, along with commissary access, legal resources, and an admissions and orientation process for new arrivals.[1]
The prison serves the Bureau's Northeast Region. Its location near the New York metropolitan area has long made it a designation point for inmates from the Northeast.[1]
History
FCI Danbury opened in 1940. It first held men. During World War II it housed several conscientious objectors who refused the draft, including the poet Robert Lowell and the activist James Peck.[3]
The facility began taking female inmates in 1944. For a long stretch it operated as a co-educational site. In 1993 the Bureau converted Danbury into a women-only institution to ease a shortage of female bed space in the Northeast.[3]
That arrangement held for two decades. In August 2013 the Bureau announced it would convert Danbury back to a men's facility to address overcrowding in the male system. The transfer of female inmates began in April 2014. The plan drew objections from advocates and members of Congress, who argued that moving Northeast women to distant prisons cut them off from family and counsel.[3]
The Bureau later restored a women's presence on the campus. A new women's unit, built at a reported cost of about $25 million, was completed in December 2016.[3]
In 2025 the Department of Justice ended its collective bargaining agreement with the prison workers' union at Danbury. The cancellation was part of a wider move against union contracts at federal facilities and removed negotiated protections for correctional officers and other staff at the institution.[4]
Notable Inmates
Piper Kerman served roughly 13 months at Danbury in 2004 and 2005 after a 1998 guilty plea tied to a drug-money conspiracy. She wrote about the experience in her 2010 memoir Orange Is the New Black. The book became a Netflix series of the same name and turned the prison into a fixture of popular reference.[2][3]
Lauryn Hill, the musician, served about three months at Danbury in 2013. She had pleaded guilty to failing to file tax returns on more than $2 million in income.[3]
Leona Helmsley, the New York real estate figure, served part of her sentence at Danbury in the early 1990s following a federal tax evasion conviction.[3]
Steve Bannon, the political strategist and podcast host, served a four-month sentence at Danbury in 2024. He had been convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack. He reported to the prison on July 1, 2024, and was released on October 29, 2024.[5][6]
In 2025 reporting placed former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson at the low-security compound following a federal conviction.[7]
Location and Visitation
FCI Danbury sits off Route 37 in Danbury, Connecticut, about 60 miles northeast of New York City. The mailing address for the main institution is Federal Correctional Institution, Route 37, Danbury, Connecticut 06811. The camp and the satellite low unit use separate mailing instructions, and inmate mail must carry the correct register number and unit to reach the right person.[1]
Visiting days, hours, and approval rules are set by the Bureau and can change. Visitors must be on an inmate's approved list before a visit. Current hours and procedures are posted on the institution's Bureau of Prisons page.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "FCI Danbury". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison".Kerman, Piper.Spiegel & Grau.2010.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Federal Correctional Institution Danbury (FCI Danbury)". Zoukis Consulting Group. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Trump administration ends union contract with Danbury federal prison workers".CT Mirror.2025-09-30.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Steve Bannon released from prison after serving contempt of Congress sentence".CNBC.2024-10-29.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Steve Bannon begins serving 4-month sentence in federal prison for defying congressional subpoena".CNN.2024-07-01.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Ex-Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson serving time in low-security Connecticut prison".Boston Herald.2025-10-22.Retrieved 2026-06-03.