The Federal Detention Center, Houston (FDC Houston) is a United States

federal prison A federal prison is operated under the jurisdiction of a federal government as opposed to a state or provincial body. Federal prisons are used for convicts who violated federal law (U.S., Mexico), inmates considered dangerous (Brazil), or those s ...

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, Texas which holds male and female inmates prior to and during court proceedings, as well an inmates serving short sentences. It is operated by the

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...

, a division of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

. It is in proximity to

Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...

. The facility, opened in October 1999, has space for 1,118 prisoners and was built for $35 million. The 11 story facility serves people awaiting trial in the

Southern District of Texas The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (in case citations, S.D. Tex.) is the federal district court with jurisdiction over the southeastern part of Texas. The court's headquarters is in Houston, Texas and has six ad ...

Notable incidents

In March 2008 a fistfight between two inmates grew into a disturbance which resulted in minor injuries for three employees and eight prisoners. In April 2008, inmate Joel Lopez was indicted for conspiring to commit

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

and

murder-for-hire Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

for plotting to kill US District Judge

Ricardo Hinojosa Ricardo H. Hinojosa (born January 24, 1950) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas and served as the Chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission. Education and career Bor ...

from FDC Houston. Hinojosa had sentenced Lopez to life in prison for a February 2006 drug conviction. The indictment alleged that Lopez approached a fellow inmate, who was affiliated with the Latin Kings street gang and was due to be released shortly, and offered to pay the inmate $2 million to kill Hinojosa and an unidentified woman who owed Lopez a drug debt. Lopez instructed the inmate to contact his wife, Aracely Lopez-Gonzalez, and provided him with her contact information. Lopez thought that Hinojosa's death would help the pending appeal of Lopez's sentence. Lopez-Gonzalez subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and testified against Lopez, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire. Lopez was sentenced to another life term and is currently being held at the

United States Penitentiary, Pollock The United States Penitentiary, Pollock (USP Pollock) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Grant Parish, Louisiana. It is part of the Pollock Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Pollock) and operated by ...

, a high-security facility in Pollock, Louisiana. Aracely Lopez-Gonzalez is serving a 9-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, a medium-security facility in Danbury, Connecticut.

References

External links

Federal Detention Center, Houston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houston Buildings of the United States government in Texas Prisons in Texas Federal Bureau of Prisons Administrative Facilities Buildings and structures in Houston 1999 establishments in Texas Downtown Houston

Notable incidents

See also

References

External links