-
-
The federal prison system already existed for the previous 40 years, under the Three Prisons Act (1891), which authorized the first three federal penitentiaries: USP Leavenworth, USP Atlanta, and USP McNeil Island, and from there it grew to 11 federal prisons -
In 1932 the Bureau opened USP Lewisburg, this place was the first penitentiary built by the newly established agency. -
The number of inmates did not vary significantly between 1940 and 1980, being 24,252 inhabitants. However, the number of establishments almost doubled. -
The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 established determinate sentencing, abolished parole, and reduced good time; additionally, several mandatory minimum sentencing provisions were enacted in 1986, 1988, and 1990. From 1980 to 1989, the inmate population more than doubled, from just over 24,000 to almost 58,000 -
In 2014 after an increase in prisoners, this decreased. Some legislative laws changed.