The United States Penitentiary, Pollock (USP Pollock) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Grant Parish, Louisiana Grant Parish (french: Paroisse de Grant) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located in the North Central portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 22,309. The par ...

. It is part of the Pollock Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Pollock) and 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 ...

. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders. FCC Pollock is located in central Louisiana, approximately 15 miles north of Alexandria.

Notable incidents

2006 escape

On April 5, 2006, convicted murderer

Richard Lee McNair Richard Lee McNair (born December 19, 1958) is a convicted murderer known for his ability to escape and elude capture. In 1987, McNair murdered one man and shot a second man four times during a botched robbery. He is currently serving two terms o ...

escaped from USP Pollock. McNair's duties in prison included work in a manufacturing area, where he repaired old, torn mailbags. He held this position for several months, during which he plotted his escape. McNair escaped by constructing an "escape pod," which included a breathing tube, and burying it under a pile of outgoing mailbags. At approximately 9:45 AM, prison staff placed the mailbags on a pallet, transported it to a nearby warehouse outside the prison's perimeter fence, and went for lunch. McNair then cut himself out of the pod and escaped at 11:00 AM. Having observed prison operations and the times when prisoner counts were conducted, McNair knew that his absence would not be discovered until 4:00 PM. After an over yearlong

manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

, McNair was captured in New Brunswick, Canada by the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

on Oct. 25, 2007 after being featured on the television program '' America's Most Wanted''.Christopher, Byron
"Richard Lee McNair Breaks His Silence"
. ''Last Link on the Left''. May 14, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2011. Since McNair had previously escaped from a county jail and a state prison in North Dakota in 1987 and 1992, he was classified as a high-escape risk and transferred to the

United States Penitentiary, Florence ADX The United States Penitentiary, Florence Administrative Maximum Facility (USP Florence ADMAX), commonly known as ADX Florence, is an American federal prison in Fremont County near Florence, Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Pris ...

, the federal supermax prison in Colorado which holds inmates requiring the tightest controls.

2007 inmate murder

In November 2007, inmate William Anthony Bullock was stabbed to death with a shank during an altercation with another inmate, identified as Shaun Wayne Williams. Williams had crafted the shank from a part of a cell locker. Williams, who was serving a 96-month sentence for being a

felon A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resul ...

in possession of a firearm, was convicted of

voluntary manslaughter Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender acted during ''the heat of passion'', under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed to the point that they canno ...

in 2009 and sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison. Williams is currently incarcerated at

USP Big Sandy The United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy (USP Big Sandy) is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Martin County, Kentucky, near the city of Inez. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a divisi ...

and scheduled to be released on January 21, 2023. Inmate Steven Prater, who was serving a 51-month sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm, was fatally injured during a fight with another inmate on June 24, 2010. On January 18, 2010, inmate Carlton Coltrane was stabbed to death by another inmate. Coltrane's mother told

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

that her son, who was serving a sentence for

bank robbery Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank branch or teller, as opposed to other bank- ...

, told her several days before that there were running disputes between gangs of inmates from Louisiana and the Washington, DC area. The murders of Prater and Coltrane remain under investigation.

Notable Inmates

Current

Former

References

External links

Bureau of Prisons website

Satellite image of USP, Pollock
{{Federal Bureau of Prisons

Pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. '' Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as pollock in North America, Ireland and the United Kingd ...

Buildings and structures in Grant Parish, Louisiana Prisons in Louisiana