USP McCreary is a high-security United States Penitentiary near Pine Knot in McCreary County, Kentucky, in the far southern part of the state close to the Tennessee border. It opened in 2003 as part of a wave of federal prison construction meant to ease crowding across the system and to give the Bureau of Prisons more high-security capacity outside of older penitentiaries. In addition to the main high-security compound, the site includes an attached minimum-security camp, so the population on site ranges quite a bit in custody level even though the institution as a whole is classified as high security. McCreary has held over 1,600 inmates at times, including men convicted of serious and violent federal offenses, reflecting its role as one of the newer high-security options in the system. Its location in a rural, mountainous corner of Kentucky, roughly 90 miles from Knoxville, makes it fairly remote, and families should expect a real drive to visit regardless of which direction they're coming from. As with other high-security penitentiaries, expect stricter visiting and communication rules than at lower-security institutions.