USP Hazelton is a high-security federal penitentiary in Bruceton Mills, in the mountains of Preston County, West Virginia, that opened in 2004 as part of a larger federal correctional complex that also includes a low-security FCI and a minimum-security camp on the same grounds. It was built as part of a broader push by the Bureau of Prisons in the early 2000s to add modern high-security capacity for the most difficult-to-house male offenders. Because of the remote, mountainous setting, inmates have nicknamed it "Misery Mountain." The prison holds several hundred general population inmates along with a sizable segregation unit for those in restrictive housing. Hazelton drew national media attention in October 2018 when organized-crime figure James "Whitey" Bulger was killed by fellow inmates within hours of his transfer there, an incident that triggered scrutiny of chronic understaffing and violence at the institution, issues that have continued to surface in subsequent years. For families, it's worth knowing this is one of the system's more high-profile, high-security facilities, and communication and visiting logistics can reflect that heightened security posture.