{{Short description|American federal prison}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{coord | 39.9529 | -75.1515 | region:US-PA_type:landmark | display=title}} {{Infobox prison |prison_name = Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia |image = Federal Detention Center Philadelphia.jpg |caption = Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia in April 2013 |location = 700 [[Arch Street (Philadelphia)|Arch Street]], [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S. |coordinates = |status = Operational |classification = Administrative facility (all security levels) |population = 1,030 |opened = January 1, 2000 |closed = |managed_by = [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] |warden =J.L. Jamison }}
The '''Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia''' ('''FDC Philadelphia''' or '''FDC Philly''') is a [[federal prison]] in the [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City]] neighborhood of [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States. It mostly holds pretrial male and female inmates as well as inmates serving brief sentences or those that are being transported to another prison within the federal prison system. It is operated by the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]], a division of the [[United States Department of Justice]].<ref>{{cite web|title=FDC Philadelphia|url=http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/phl/index.jsp|publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons}}</ref>
The jail, across from the William J. Green Jr. Federal Building,<ref name=DavisNeeded>Davis, Mark. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160225131724/http://articles.philly.com/1998-10-21/news/25760360_1_750-bed-prison-big-buildings-federal-building From Pariah To `Monument' A New Prison Was The Last Thing Needed Downtown. Or Was It?]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160225131724/http://articles.philly.com/1998-10-21/news/25760360_1_750-bed-prison-big-buildings-federal-building Archive]). ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]''. October 21, 1998. Retrieved on February 18, 2016.</ref> is on a {{convert|1|acre|ha|adj=on}} site the southwest corner of Arch Street and 7th Street, across from the [[African American Museum in Philadelphia]] and in the [[Independence Mall (Philadelphia)|Independence Mall]] area.<ref name=HineWouldDet>Hine, Thomas. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20151018092432/http://articles.philly.com/1992-03-29/news/26016367_1_detention-center-federal-courthouse-public-hearing Would Detention Center Fit Into Neighborhood?]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160225125028/http://articles.philly.com/1992-03-29/news/26016367_1_detention-center-federal-courthouse-public-hearing Archive]). ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. March 29, 1992. Retrieved on February 18, 2016.</ref>
The jail is 12 stories tall across eight floors and multiple basements. It has 628 cells for United States Marshal Service pre-trial inmates, primarily from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey and the District of Delaware. Federal Detention Center Philadelphia is also a United States Parole Commission Revocation Site. Upwards of 120 female prisoners, already sentenced, serve as work cadre inmates. The prison is connected to a tunnel that allows inmates and US Deputy Marshals to travel to and from the [[James A. Byrne United States Courthouse]].<ref name=Slobodziandebut>Slobodzian, Joseph A. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160104024303/http://articles.philly.com/2000-03-23/news/25606395_1_federal-inmates-inmates-move-detainees Federal Detention Center Nears Its Debut The Ultramodern Center City Facility Is Built Over A Tunnel That Links It With The Courthouse. Some Inmates Move In April 1.]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160225131721/http://articles.philly.com/2000-03-23/news/25606395_1_federal-inmates-inmates-move-detainees Archive]). ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. March 23, 2000. Retrieved on February 18, 2016.</ref>
==History== The proposal to build the jail at its current site, which at the time was a mostly vacant plot of land, was made public in February 1992.<ref name=HineWouldDet/> The museum, the businesses at the East Market Street,<ref>Goodman, Howard. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160225123520/http://articles.philly.com/1992-02-21/news/26038179_1_prisons-detention-center-federal-courthouse Proposed U.S. Prison Draws Fire Neighbors Hit Center City Site]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160225123520/http://articles.philly.com/1992-02-21/news/26038179_1_prisons-detention-center-federal-courthouse Archive]). ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. February 21, 1992. Retrieved on February 18, 2015.</ref> [[Chinatown, Philadelphia|Chinatown]] businesses, and [[U.S. House of Representatives]] member [[Thomas Foglietta]] all opposed the proposal. The East Market Street businesses did not want prisoners close to their businesses. The African-American museum objected to a reminder of the incarceration of black men. Chinatown businesses stated that the prison may drive away customers and block expansion of Chinatown from the Vine Street Expressway.<ref name=DavisNeeded/>
In February 1992, ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' reported that the tunnel directly connecting the jail with the courthouse "appeared to appease nearly every critic" against the prison's construction, and that the prison did not visually appear like one.<ref name=DavisNeeded/>
In August 1992, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' reported that the jail could damage efforts to revitalize portions of Center City.<ref>Bacon, Edmund. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20151017203034/http://articles.philly.com/1992-08-22/news/25988517_1_historic-district-new-federal-detention-center-federal-proposal A Jail Near Independence Hall? No!]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160225132821/http://articles.philly.com/1992-08-22/news/25988517_1_historic-district-new-federal-detention-center-federal-proposal Archive]). ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. August 22, 1992. Retrieved on February 18, 2016.</ref>
As of April 1993, prior to the opening of the detention center, there were 18 federal prisons throughout the U.S. that housed pretrial inmates awaiting proceedings in Philadelphia. FDC Philadelphia, scheduled to cost $85 million, was built so the pretrial federal inmates could be housed in Philadelphia itself.<ref>"[https://archive.today/20160218155250/http://articles.philly.com/1993-04-09/news/25980203_1_downtown-prison-federal-detention-center-federal-criminals Detention Center At 7th And Arch Makes Good Sense - Despite What Critics Say]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20170202002834/http://articles.philly.com/1993-04-09/news/25980203_1_downtown-prison-federal-detention-center-federal-criminals Archive]). ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. April 9, 1993. Retrieved on February 18, 2016.</ref>
The [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] pursued building the prison at its selected site, with the legal processes for condemning structures on the site and acquiring the site beginning in March 1995 and with groundbreaking at a former parking lot on the tract in January 1997.<ref name=DavisNeeded/> Its formal opening was scheduled for June 1, 2000. Its ultimate construction cost was $68 million. 120 prisoners whose sentences were about to end served as a work cadre from April 1 until the prison's opening.<ref name=Slobodziandebut/>
==Facility== Each {{convert|96|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} prison cell has slit windows, a bunk bed, a toilet, twin lockers, a writing table, a basin, and drains at the perimeters.<ref name=Slobodziandebut/> The prison includes a caged recreation area with basketball and handball facility. The prison has facilities for reheating meals meant to be served to prisoners.<ref>Kashatus, William C. "[https://archive.today/20160218171721/http://articles.philly.com/2000-05-23/news/25616247_1_prison-system-federal-detention-center-public-prisons What We Can Learn From Eastern State]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20170202002834/http://articles.philly.com/2000-05-23/news/25616247_1_prison-system-federal-detention-center-public-prisons Archive]). ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. May 23, 2000. Retrieved on February 18, 2016.</ref>
==Notable incidents== *On September 13, 2011, the former warden of FDC Philadelphia, Troy Levi, was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and making false statements to federal officials. The incident described in the indictment details a situation whereupon a staff member at the FDC accidentally brought a firearm into the facility in violation of federal law. Levi attempted to obstruct justice by inducing the employee to lie about why he brought the firearm to work and instructing him to create a cover story by obtaining a false receipt from a mechanic to establish that the employee's car trunk was broken so he intended to bring the firearm into the facility to secure it in a weapons container. Levi eventually pleaded guilty to six federal charges and was sentenced to four months of [[home confinement]], [[supervised release]], and a fine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pennsylvania: Former BOP Warden Pleads Guilty to Cover-up|url=https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2013/jan/15/pennsylvania-former-bop-warden-pleads-guilty-to-cover-up}}</ref> *On March 19, 2012, Richard Spisak, 35, pleaded guilty to engaging in a sexual act with a male prisoner over whom he had disciplinary authority while Spisak was a Senior Corrections Specialist at FDC Philadelphia in 2010. Spisak further admitted to threatening to set off his body alarm and falsely report that the inmate had attacked him if the inmate did not perform oral sex on him. The victim acquiesced after Spisak's threats. Two other inmates testified at Spisak's sentencing hearing that Spisak victimized them in a similar manner. Spisak was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison on June 28, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hanson|first=Tony|title=Former Guard Sentenced To Prison For Assaulting Inmates|url=http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/06/29/former-guard-sentenced-to-prison-for-assaulting-inmates/|publisher=CBS Philly|access-date=28 October 2013|date=June 29, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FORMER PRISON GUARD SENTENCED FOR FORCING SEX ON AN INMATE|url=https://www.justice.gov/oig/press/2012/2012_06_28.pdf|publisher=US Department of Justice|access-date=28 October 2013|date=June 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Inmate Locator - Richard Spisak|url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=richard&Middle=&LastName=spisak&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0|publisher=Federal Bureau of Prisons|access-date=28 October 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200317/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=richard&Middle=&LastName=spisak&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0|url-status=dead}}</ref> *On May 10, 2023, inmate Kevante Washington was severely beaten, presumably by another inmate, while housed in the FDC Philadelphia [[Solitary confinement in the United States|Special Housing Unit]]. A day later, he succumbed to his injuries.<ref>{{cite web|first=Xerxes|last=Wilson|date=June 1, 2023|publisher=Delaware Online|url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2023/06/01/delaware-man-dead-philadelphia-federal-detention-center/70268126007 |title=No answers for family of Delaware man dead after Philadelphia federal prison 'altercation'}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/;jsessionid=FF696E51E5EDEF4DCA99D0F1ED29E351|title=BOP Inmate Locator - Kevante Washington}}</ref> As of August 2023, no charges have been filed and the investigation remains ongoing. *On January 9, 2026, Parady La, 46, an [[Immigration and Customs Enforcement|ICE]] detainee housed at FDC Philadelphia died. La was found unresponsive in his cell on January 7 and received CPR and was administered [[NARCAN]] before being transported to [[Thomas Jefferson University Hospital]] by EMS at 2:38 p.m. La remained in the hospital's [[neurointensive care|Neuro Intensive Care Unit]] in critical condition for 2 days before being declared [[brain dead]] on January 9 at 3:22 a.m.<ref name=ICEpressrelease>{{cite press release |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=10 January 2026 |title=Career criminal, illegal alien in ICE custody passes away at local hospital |url=https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/career-criminal-illegal-alien-ice-custody-passes-away-local-hospital |location= |publisher= United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement |agency=United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement |access-date=27 January 2026}}</ref> La's family intends to pursue legal action against FDC Philadelphia and ICE.<ref>{{cite web|first=Emily |last=Neil |date=16 January 2026 |publisher=WHYY |url=https://whyy.org/articles/parady-la-upper-day-ice-custody-death/ |title=‘Like a father figure’: Family mourns Parady La, Upper Darby man who died in ICE custody}}</ref>
==Notable inmates (current and former)== {|class="wikitable sortable" !width=13%|Inmate Name !width=12%|Register Number !width=19%|Status !width=56%|Details |- | align="center" | [[2007 Fort Dix attack plot|Shain Duka]] | align="center" | [https://archive.today/20121211205844/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=61284-066&x=100&y=11 61284-066] | Serving life sentence plus 30 years.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Movement|url=http://hrcoalition.org/sites/default/files/Movement18.pdf|website=hrcoalition.org|publisher=Human Rights Coalition|access-date=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082028/http://hrcoalition.org/sites/default/files/Movement18.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Shain was transferred to [[United States Penitentiary, Atwater|Atwater USP]]. | rowspan=3|Involved in the [[2007 Fort Dix attack plot]]; convicted in 2008 of conspiring to kill American soldiers and possessing firearms with the intent to conduct a terrorist attack at the New Jersey military base.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/nyregion/23fortdix.html | work=The New York Times | first1=Paul | last1=Von Zielbauer | first2=Jon | last2=Hurdle | title=Five Are Convicted of Conspiring to Attack Fort Dix | date=2008-12-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Two Additional Defendants Sentenced for Conspiring to Kill U.S. Soldiers|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/April/09-nsd-408.html|publisher=US Department of Justice|access-date=16 March 2013}}</ref> Eljvir Duka is at [[United States Penitentiary, Hazelton|USP Hazelton]], Dritan Duka is at [[FCI Cumberland]], and Shain Duka is at [[USP Atwater]]. |- | align="center" | [[2007 Fort Dix attack plot|Dritan Duka]] | align="center" | [http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/# 61285-066] | Serving life sentence plus 30 years. Dritan was transferred to [[Federal Correctional Institution, Terre Haute|Terre Haute CMU.]] |- | align="center" | [[2007 Fort Dix attack plot|Eljvir Duka]] | align="center" | [http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/# 61282-066] | Serving life sentence plus 30 years. Eljvir was transferred to [[Hazelton USP]]. |- | align="center" | [[Lil' Kim|Kimberly Jones]] | align="center" | [https://archive.today/20130616022805/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=IDSearch&needingMoreList=false&IDType=IRN&IDNumber=56198-054&x=81&y=16 56198-054] | Released from custody on August 2, 2006; served 11 months.<ref>"[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-147764620/lil-kim-leaves-prison.html Lil' Kim leaves prison, steps into Rolls.]" ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. July 3, 2006. Retrieved on January 6, 2010.</ref> | American [[rap]] artist and actress known as [[Lil' Kim]]; convicted of [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] and [[perjury]] in 2005 for lying to a federal [[grand jury]] about her and her friends' involvement in a 2001 shootout in New York City, during which a bystander was wounded.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1498251/20050317/lil_kim.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050319022858/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1498251/20050317/lil_kim.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 19, 2005|title=Lil' Kim Found Guilty Of Lying To Grand Jury, Investigators|last=Vineyard|first=Jennifer|date=March 17, 2005|publisher=MTV News|access-date=April 13, 2010}}</ref> |- | align="center" | [[Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot|Barry Croft]] | align="center" | 11796-509 | Transferred to [[ADX Florence]]. Serving a 19-year and seven-month sentence; scheduled for release on June 15, 2037. | Charged in the thwarted plot to kidnap [[Governor of Michigan|Michigan Governor]] [[Gretchen Whitmer]] |- | align="center" | [[Kaboni Savage]]<ref>{{cite news|author=Anastasia, George|url=http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-28/news/29354310_1_kaboni-savage-drug-kingpin-confinement|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709060335/http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-28/news/29354310_1_kaboni-savage-drug-kingpin-confinement|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 9, 2011|title=Drug kingpin Kaboni Savage is unhappy at the Federal Detention Center|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=2011-03-28|access-date=2016-08-16}}</ref> | align="center" | 58232-066 | Transferred to [[ADX Florence]]. Serving a life sentence; originally sentenced to death on June 3, 2013 but commuted by President [[Joe Biden|Biden]]. | Convicted of murders related to witness intimidation. |- | align="center" | [[AR-Ab|Abdul Ibrahim West]] | align="center" | 76811-066 |Transferred to [[United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy|USP Big Sandy]], Serving a 45-year sentence. Scheduled release date in 2057. |Also known as rapper AR-Ab, convicted in 2019 on narcotics and drug trafficking charges for leading a drug ring in North Philadelphia. |- | align="center" | [[Drew Drechsel]] | align="center" | [http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/# 73733-018] | Transferred to [[Federal Correctional Institution, Milan|FCI Milan]], serving a 10-year sentence. |Winner of American Ninja Warrior 2019, pleaded guilty on June 1, 2023 to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing a minor to travel interstate to engage in sexual activity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Florida Man Sentenced to 121 Months in Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography and Enticement of Minor|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/florida-man-sentenced-121-months-prison-receipt-child-pornography-and-enticement-minor|publisher=US Department of Justice|access-date=1 Sep 2024}}</ref> |- | align="center" | [[Clare Bronfman]] | align="center" | 91010-053 |Serving an 81 month sentence; scheduled for release June 29, 2026. Released to a halfway house in May 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gavin |first=Robert |date=6 May 2024 |title=NXIVM's Bronfman released to halfway house in NYC |url=https://www.timesunion.com/nxivm/article/nxivm-s-bronfman-released-halfway-house-nyc-19442124.php |url-status=live |access-date=8 March 2026 |work=[[Times Union (Albany)|Times Union]]}}</ref> |Pleaded guilty to conspiring to conceal and harbor an undocumented immigrant for financial gain, and fraudulent use of identification |}
==See also== {{Portal|United States|Politics|Pennsylvania|Philadelphia}} *[[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] *[[Incarceration in the United States]] *[[List of U.S. federal prisons]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *[http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/phl/index.jsp FDC Philadelphia Official site] *[http://www.bop.gov/DataSource/execute/dsFacilityAddressLoc?start=y&facilityCode=phl FDC Philadelphia Contact Information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924110004/http://www.bop.gov/DataSource/execute/dsFacilityAddressLoc?start=y&facilityCode=phl |date=2006-09-24 }} *[http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/phl/PHL_visit_hours.pdf FDC Philadelphia Visiting Regulations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527082106/http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/phl/PHL_visit_hours.pdf |date=May 27, 2006 }}
{{Federal Bureau of Prisons}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:2000 establishments in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Arch Street]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Philadelphia]] [[Category:Federal Bureau of Prisons Administrative Facilities|Philadelphia]] [[Category:Market East, Philadelphia]] [[Category:Prisons in Pennsylvania]]