FCI Memphis is a medium-security federal prison for male inmates situated on about 240 acres in Shelby County, within the city of Memphis, Tennessee. It opened in 1977, making it one of the older federal correctional institutions still operating in its original form, predating much of the major prison expansion of the 1980s and 1990s. Like most FCIs of its size, it includes an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp for lower-custody male offenders in addition to the main compound. Falling under the jurisdiction of the Western District of Tennessee, the facility has served the region for close to five decades, giving it a longer institutional history than many of the newer prisons built elsewhere in the South. Detailed accounts of major historical incidents at Memphis are not especially prominent in public records, which is fairly typical for a standard medium-security institution that has operated steadily rather than making headlines. One practical advantage for families is its urban location within Memphis itself, which, unlike many rural federal prisons, means visitors can usually reach the facility without the long rural drives required for more remotely sited institutions.