FCI, SEAGOVILLE, TEXAS - On October 10, 2000, current staff, former staff, and retirees will gather at the Federal Correctional Institution to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the facility. The institution has a rich history, including implementation of numerous mission changes and management of various inmate populations.

October 10, 1940, marked the official opening of the facility in Seagoville, which at the time was named the Federal Reformatory for Women. The initial population had 50 inmates, with a maximum capacity of approximately 400. There were 50 staff members, with a possible 150 when fully operational.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, the United States entered World War II. In March of 1942, the Seagoville facility’s mission changed to a Federal Detention Station monitored by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service. German, Italian, and Japanese families were held even after they had immigrated from their home countries to enjoy the freedom of America. On June 25, 1945, following the end of World War II, the Bureau of Prisons reopened the Seagoville facility as an institution for minimum security male offenders. In 1969, the facility’s mission changed to young, male offenders sentenced under the Youth Corrections Act. In 1979, the mission changed to a male Federal Prison Camp. Once a perimeter fence was installed in 1981, the facility was upgraded to the status of a Federal Correctional Institution.

Although Seagoville has remained a Federal Correctional Institution, the opening of the adjacent Federal Detention Center in February 1996, offered a new challenge to staff. As a pretrial and holdover facility, staffing and security are provided for federal inmates who are detained while awaiting trial, designation, or transfer to other federal facilities. The current inmate population at the Seagoville facility is 1236, with 1035 inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution and 191 inmates at the Federal Detention Center.

As we look beyond the year 2000, the Federal Correctional Institution continues to expand its current mission. A minimum security work camp will open and the construction of two additional housing units will begin in 2001. Through the 60 years of mission changes and thousands of inmates, one important fact cannot be overemphasized: It is the dedicated staff of professionals that ensure Seagoville remains a special facility with historic significance. Our current and future staff will continue the proud traditions established by the retirees we honor.