Status Operational Opened 2002 | Phone +1 276-546-0150 | |
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Security class High-security (with satellite minimum-security prison camp) Population 1,472 (143 in prison camp) Address Hickory Flats Road, Pennington Gap, VA 24277, USA Similar Wallens Ridge State Pris, Elk Knob Elementary School, Southwest Virginia Regional, Harlan County Detention, Lee County Sheriff's Office | ||
The United States Penitentiary, Lee (USP Lee) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Virginia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp which houses minimum-security male offenders.
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USP Lee is located in the Lee County Industrial Park an unincorporated area in Lee County, Virginia, in the southwest part of the state. The prison is located off of U.S. Route 58 at the intersection of Route 638, near Pennington Gap and 8 miles (13 km) east of Jonesville.
History
The annual per capita income of Lee County was $12,917 in the early 1990s, making the Virginia area a prime candidate to host a federal prison and bring money into the community.
Architectural and construction work of the 635,097-square-foot (59,002.4 m2) facility was administered by Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, now known as AECOM. Computer modeling was utilized to identify and minimize blindspots of prison watchtowers. Construction began in the summer of 1998 on a budget of $102 million. The penitentiary was completed in August 2001 and began receiving inmates in 2002. According to project manager Gary Carsten of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the main recurring problem of the facility is the excessive strain on Lee County's sewage system.
Archaeological discoveries on the prison property include arrowheads and pottery from a Native American gravesite believed to be associated with an ancient hospital dating as far back as 10,000 years.
Notable incidents
On February 25, 2008, inmate Edward Porta apparently walked away from the minimum security camp when he turned up missing during a 4 p.m. count. Porta defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture of more than $400,000. He remained a fugitive for over 8 years until he was recaptured in May 2016, and was profiled on the television program America's Most Wanted.
There have been incidents of violence at USP Lee and several homicides. Inmate Quinten Corniel was killed on September 30, 2008 and inmate Ernest Bennett on January 22, 2010, both during altercations with other inmates. On April 29, 2010, Filikisi Hafoka, a member of the Tongan Crip Gang, was taken off life support after being stabbed on the previous weekend. As is procedure, USP Lee went into lockdown after these incidents and investigations were conducted. The killers of Corniel and Bennett were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.