United States Penitentiary Terre Haute is a high-security federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is also known as USP Terre Haute. USP Terre Haute Camp is located adjacent to the primary institution. Both facilities house male inmates.
Table of contents
- USP Terre Haute Contact Information
- United States Penitentiary Terre Haute Inmate Information
- USP Terre Haute Prison Services Information
- USP Terre Haute Educational, Library, and Recreation Offerings
- Visitation Information for USP Terre Haute
- USP Terre Haute Prison Culture Information
- USP Terre Haute in the News
- More Information About United States Penitentiary Terre Haute
USP Terre Haute Contact Information
Facility Address & Contact Information
United States Penitentiary Terre Haute
4700 Bureau Road South
Terre Haute, IN 47802
Phone: 812-244-4400
Fax: 812-244-4791
Email: [email protected]
BOP Website: Bureau of Prisons Page
Wikipedia: Wikipedia Page
Inmate Correspondence Address
USP Terre Haute
Inmate Name and Registration Number
USP Terre Haute
United States Penitentiary
P.O. Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
USP Terre Haute Camp
Inmate Name and Registration Number
USP Terre Haute Camp
Satellite Prison Camp
P.O. Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
How to Send Money
Do not send funds directly to inmates. See our page on sending money to federal prisoners.
United States Penitentiary Terre Haute Inmate Information
Inmate Gender
Male Inmates
Prison Security Level
Facility Location
Terre Haute federal penitentiary is located on Highway 63, 2 miles south of the City of Terre Haute, 70 miles west of Indianapolis on I-70.
BOP Region
BOP Institution Code
THP for USP Terre Haute, THA for Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex
Medical Care Level
Level 2/3. See our page on Medical Care Levels and Procedures for more information.
Mental Health Care Level
Level 3.
Judicial District
Population Number
USP Terre Haute houses approximately 1,190 inmates. The camp houses around 190 inmates.
USP Terre Haute Prison Services Information
Background
Terre Haute federal penitentiary is a high-security federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, which houses male inmates. It was opened in 1940 and is part of the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex.
USP Terre Haute was hailed as a monument to progressive ideals when it opened. Prisoners were called “inmates” rather than “criminals” and called by their names rather than their prisoner numbers. It was also the first federal prison to have an open structure instead of the old massive steel cell blocks. Silence at meals was no longer imposed, and USP Terre Haute was one of the first prisons to offer prisoners the chance to learn a trade. Today, USP Terre Haute also contains the Special Confinement Unit, which houses federal inmates sentenced to death.
Notable inmates include:
- Timothy McVeigh (executed in 2001 after being convicted of planning and executing the bombing of the Oklahoma federal building)
- Louis Jones, Jr. (executed in 2003 after being convicted of the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of U.S. Army Private Tracie Joy McBride)
- Joseph Edward Duncan (sentenced to death in 2008 for kidnapping and quadruple murder)
- Leader of the Dixie Mafia Kirksey Nix (serving a life sentence for ordering murders and operating a blackmail scheme)
- Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof (placed on death row in 2017)
Media reports indicate that at least one inmate has been indicted for assaulting a fellow inmate and that at least two inmates have been transported to local area hospitals as the result of either being stabbed by fellow inmates or shot by guards. In addition, in one incident, four guards were stabbed by one inmate while searching for contraband.
Inmate Housing
Four housing units, which consist of two-person cells.
Health Services
Health services include the following:
- Medical Sick Call
- Dental Sick Calls
- Medications
- Physical Examinations
Emergency care is available by approaching any staff member. Routine care requires the submission of a sick call slip.
Psychology Services
Psychology Services staff interview new inmates during the first 14 days of admission. Psychological treatment is offered to those with mental health challenges. There are many alternatives for inmates with personal problems and a desire to correct them, such as self-image groups, anger management, and other voluntary groups.
The facility also offers the Challenge Program for inmates prone to substance abuse, mental illness, and violence. The Life Connections Program is provided through Religious Services for inmates who desire to grow as responsible persons.
Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP)
United States Penitentiary Terre Haute does not have the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). The facility does offer the Drug Education class, the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program (NR-DAP), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
USP Terre Haute Educational, Library, and Recreation Offerings
Education Services
USP Terre Haute provides GED, English as a Second Language (ESL), parenting, and Adult Continuing Education (ACE) programs. High school diplomas and post-secondary degrees are available through paid correspondence programs.
Advanced Occupational Education
Terre Haute federal penitentiary does not offer any advanced occupational education programs.
Vocational Training
Terre Haute USP offers vocational training in Computer Applications.
Apprenticeship
USP Terre Haute offers Baker, Barbering, Cook, Housekeeping, Office Manager, and Tutor apprenticeships.
Library Services
United States Penitentiary Terre Haute offers both legal and leisure libraries. The TRULINCS Electronic Law Library contains a variety of legal reference materials for use in preparing legal papers. The leisure library offers fiction books, newspapers, and magazines from the library. An interlibrary loan program is also available.
UNICOR
The USP Terre Haute UNICOR facility produces clothing and textiles.
Commissary
The commissary is available to inmates once a week on their assigned day. A $360.00 per month spending limit is enforced. Particular limitations may apply. Commissary items such as food, drinks, electronics, ice cream, and shoes are available.
Recreation Services
Terre Haute Federal Penitentiary offers a variety of recreational programs, including:
Indoor:
- Gym Facilities
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Pool Tables
- Ellipticals
- Treadmills
- Stationary Bikes
- Music Room
- Art Room
Outdoor:
- Three recreation fields
- Softball
- Basketball
- Handball
- Horseshoes
- Pull-Up Bars
- Soccer
- Walking/Running Track
Physical fitness and weight reduction programs are also available. Hobby craft programs at USP Terre Haute include activities such as painting, leather, and art.
Visitation Information for USP Terre Haute
On Sunday and Saturday, visitation is held between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. On Friday, visitation is held between 2:00 and 8:30 p.m. On federal holidays visitation is held between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. See our page on prisoner visitation rules for more information.
USP Terre Haute Prison Culture Information
Prison Politics at United States Penitentiary Terre Haute
This is a very political yard with a car requirement.
Level of Violence
There is a high level of violence at this prison. Inmates report fights several times a week and one or two stabbings per month.
Vulnerable Populations
While inmates say sex offenders, informants, and LGBT inmates cannot walk the yard, they report that LGBT inmates can stay.
Good at USP Terre Haute
“Education offerings, recreation.”
Bad at USP Terre Haute
“Inmates ran everything.” “Really unprofessional and disrespectful staff; dirty cops.”
Other Inmate Comments
“As far as USPs go, not a bad one, though still violent.” “If you have clean paperwork, go. If not, avoid.”
USP Terre Haute in the News
In August 2020, inmate Jose Nieves-Galarza, an inmate at USP Terre Haute, was killed. According to new reports, his death was caused by “blunt-force injuries,” causing him to bleed to death. The Associated Press noted that the official Bureau of Prisons’ news release merely stated that Nieves-Galarza was found “unresponsive.” Bureau officials reportedly did not disclose the murder when notifying next of kin.
In April 2017, Dylann Roof, the man who killed nine people in a South Carolina church in 2015, was moved to death row at United States Penitentiary Terre Haute.
In March 2010, Adam G. Orr, a prisoner at the United States Penitentiary at Terre Haute, beat and stabbed another prisoner, who suffered rib and facial fractures, puncture wounds, and a collapsed lung, because the other prisoner called him a liar and a snitch. He was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison.
In 2009, USP Terre Haute guards shot prisoners in the recreation yard after they ignored warnings to stop fighting. Two prisoners were sent to the hospital for injuries, one for treatment of a gunshot wound.
In July 2004, Thomas Walker, a prisoner at USP Terre Haute, stabbed four guards — Gregory Brummett, Terry Ray, Joseph Sims, and Lloyd McPherson — with two metal shanks as the guards searched for contraband.
In 2001, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was executed at the Terre Haute Federal Penitentiary.
More Information About United States Penitentiary Terre Haute
For a comprehensive look at life in federal prison, pick up a copy of Christopher Zoukis’ Federal Prison Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Surviving the Federal Bureau of Prisons. For more detailed information about USP Terre Haute, please buy a copy of the Directory of Federal Prisons: The Unofficial Guide to Bureau of Prisons Institutions by Christopher Zoukis.
Published Apr 27, 2018 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Aug 2, 2023 at 10:08 am
