FDC Philadelphia is a federal detention center located right in the heart of Center City Philadelphia, at 700 Arch Street across from the African American Museum near Independence Mall. It opened on January 1, 2000, as a purpose-built high-rise, standing twelve stories over an one-acre downtown footprint, a very different setting from the sprawling rural campuses typical of many federal prisons on this list. Its role is also different: it primarily holds male and female inmates who are awaiting trial or sentencing, serving very short sentences, or simply being held temporarily while in transit to another institution within the federal system, rather than functioning as a long-term facility. Because of that transient population, turnover tends to be higher and stays shorter than at a standard FCI, which can make it a more unsettled and uncertain place for families trying to track a loved one's status. Its downtown location, however, does make it relatively accessible for visits and legal appointments compared to more remote federal prisons.