The Federal Correctional Complex, Forrest City is a grouping of federal prisons in eastern Arkansas, positioned roughly midway between Little Rock and Memphis, just off Interstate 40. The complex came together in the late 1990s, with the first units opening around 1997, and today consists of two main institutions — a low-security FCI and a medium-security FCI — plus an attached minimum-security satellite camp that houses lower-classification male offenders. Combined, the three units hold somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,800 to 3,800 inmates, making it one of the larger federal prison complexes by total population, even though detailed public documentation of its founding and construction is fairly limited compared to some other complexes. As with any multi-unit complex, the practical reality for families is that "Forrest City" isn't one prison but several sharing a rural campus, so knowing whether a loved one is housed in the Low, the Medium, or the camp affects visiting hours, mail handling, and security procedures. The facility's rural setting in Saint Francis County means it's not close to a major airport, which tends to be the most common logistical challenge mentioned by visiting family members.