FDC Houston is a federal detention center in downtown Houston, Texas, that opened in October 1999 after roughly $35 million in construction costs. The eleven-story facility was purpose-built to serve the Southern District of Texas, one of the busiest federal court districts in the country, holding both male and female inmates who are awaiting trial, sentencing, or transfer, as well as some serving short sentences. With space for over 1,100 people, it functions less like a traditional long-term prison and more like a high-turnover holding facility tied directly to the federal courthouse system in the city. Its downtown location, in the middle of one of the largest metro areas in the South, sets it apart from the rural, campus-style federal prisons most people picture — it's a vertical, urban facility surrounded by city infrastructure rather than fences and farmland. Over the years it has seen occasional disturbances typical of a high-density detention setting, including a reported altercation between inmates in 2008 that led to minor injuries. For families, the urban setting generally means easier travel access than most federal institutions.