Federal Medical Center, Lexington


The Federal Medical Center, Lexington is a United States federal prison in Kentucky for male or female inmates requiring medical or mental health care. It is designated as an administrative facility, which means that it holds inmates of all security classifications. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp for female inmates.
FMC Lexington is located 7 miles north of Lexington and 20 miles southeast of Frankfort, the state capital.

History

The site opened on May 15, 1935 on under the name "United States Narcotic Farm" then changed shortly after to "U.S. Public Health Service Hospital." In 1967, it changed its name again to "National Institute of Mental Health, Clinical Research Center." Its original purpose was to treat people who "voluntarily" were admitted with drug abuse problems and treat them, with mostly experimental treatments; it was the first of its kind in the United States. The site included a farm where patients would work.
Throughout the life of the institution as a prison/hospital, approximately two-thirds of those sent to the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital were considered volunteers. While many traveled to the institution on their own to volunteer for treatment, other so-called volunteers were in fact motivated to go there in lieu of federal sentencing. The remaining one-third of the prison's population, which reached 1,499 inmates at its peak, were there due to federal charges either directly or indirectly related to drug use.
In 1974, the institution became a federal prison but maintained a "psychiatric hospital" title until 1998, the year 2 inmates killed another with a fire extinguisher. Most psychiatric patients were subsequently moved to other federal medical centers, although the change in mission was due to the psychiatric function being transferred to a new Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, and not the homicide.

Literature

Current

Former

† Inmates released from custody prior to 1982 are not listed on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetails
Narseal BatisteServed a 13-year sentence; released in 2018.Leader of the Universal Divine Saviors religious cult; convicted of terrorism conspiracy in 2009 for masterminding a foiled plot to bomb the Sears Tower in Chicago. Four co-conspirators were also convicted.
Larry Langford27349-001Served a 15-year sentence released in 2018 died in 2019Former mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, sentenced for conspiracy to commit bribery, and wire fraud
Susan RosenbergReleased in 2001 after her sentence was commuted by President Bill Clinton; served 16 years of a 58-year sentence.Political activist and former member of the May 19th Communist Organization, a terrorist group which carried out bombings of government facilities and bank robberies in the 1980s; convicted of possessing explosives in 1984.
Silvia BaraldiniTransferred to an Italian prison in 1999 while serving a 40-year sentence.Political activist from Italy; convicted of racketeering in 1982 for taking part in two armored truck robberies, as well as for aiding convicted murdered Assata Shakur escape from prison.
Wayne KramerUnlisted†Held at FMC Lexington in the 1970s; served 2 years.Guitarist and co-founder of the Detroit rock band MC5; convicted of selling cocaine to undercover police officers.
Red RodneyUnlisted†Held at FMC Lexington in the 1970s; served 27 months.Bop and hard bop trumpeter; convicted of fraud and theft for impersonating an Army officer in order to steal $10,000 from the Atomic Energy Commission of San Francisco.
Leona Helmsley15113-054Released after serving 18 months of a 4-year sentenceHelmsley was sentenced to serve four years for income tax fraud in 1992