Location |
North Elba, Essex County, near Saranac Lake, New York |
---|---|
Status | Operational |
Security class | Medium-security |
Population | approx. 800 |
Opened | 1980 |
Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
Warden | Donald Hudson, Jr. |
The Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook (FCI Ray Brook) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates that is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.
FCI Ray Brook is located in Essex County, New York, midway between the villages of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Although constructed as a prison, it initially served as the Olympic Village for the 1980 Winter Olympics, which were held in Lake Placid.
The prison became operational following the conclusion of the Olympics and accepted its first inmates that same year. In 2010, FCI Ray Brook commemorated its thirtieth anniversary. On February 13, 2011, Russell Perdue was appointed as warden, the tenth in the facility's history. He replaced Deborah Schult, who was appointed warden of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' newest facility, the Federal Correction Institution, Berlin in Berlin, New Hampshire. On July 29, 2012, Donald Hudson Jr. became FCI Ray Brook's eleventh warden.
The Bureau of Prisons has received numerous complaints regarding conditions at FCI Ray Brook. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstated a previously dismissed lawsuit filed against the Bureau of Prisons on behalf of six inmates who were allegedly housed in an extremely hot and cramped single room without adequate ventilation and cleaning supplies. The Court found that the evidence justified a claim of cruel and unusual punishment. The lawsuit is currently pending.
†Temporarily transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn pending an appeal.
Coordinates: 44°17′25″N 74°05′34″W / 44.29028°N 74.09278°W