FCI Elkton is a low-security federal prison in Columbiana County, Ohio, roughly 45 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, that opened in 1997 and now holds around 2,000 male inmates between the main institution and its adjacent minimum-security camp. For much of its history it operated fairly quietly, but it became a focus of national attention in the spring of 2020, when it experienced one of the most severe COVID-19 outbreaks in the federal prison system. Hundreds of inmates tested positive and several died, prompting an emergency legal challenge from inmates seeking release due to overcrowding and health risks, as well as a temporary deployment of Ohio National Guard medical personnel to help manage the crisis. The episode drew significant media and congressional scrutiny over conditions and the BOP's pandemic response more broadly. Outside of that period, Elkton has functioned as a standard low-security facility housing a mix of offenders. For families with a loved one there, it's worth knowing the facility went through a genuinely difficult stretch during the pandemic that led to real changes in how it monitored health and safety, even though day-to-day operations have since returned to a more typical routine.