The Federal Medical Center, Lexington (FMC Lexington) is a United States federal prison in Kentucky for male or female inmates requiring medical or mental health care. It is designated as an administrative facility, which means that it holds inmates of all security classifications. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp for female inmates.
FMC Lexington is located 7 miles (11 km) north of Lexington and 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Frankfort, the state capital.[1]
History
Undated aerial view of the hospital
The site opened on May 15, 1935, on 1,000 acres (400 ha) under the name "United States Narcotic Farm" then changed shortly after to "U.S. Public Health Service Hospital." In 1967, it changed its name again to "National Institute of Mental Health, Clinical Research Center." Its original purpose was to treat people who "voluntarily" were admitted with drug abuse problems and treat them, with mostly experimental treatments; it was the first of its kind in the United States. The 1,050-acre (420 ha) site included a farm where patients would work.[2]
Throughout the life of the institution as a prison/hospital, approximately two-thirds of those sent to the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital were considered volunteers. While many traveled to the institution on their own to volunteer for treatment, other so-called volunteers were in fact motivated to go there in lieu of federal sentencing. The remaining one-third of the prison's population, which reached 1,499 inmates at its peak, were there due to federal charges either directly or indirectly related to drug use.
In 1974, the institution became a federal prison but maintained a "psychiatric hospital" title until 1998, the year 2 inmates killed another with a fire extinguisher. Most psychiatric patients were subsequently moved to other federal medical centers, although the change in mission was due to the psychiatric function being transferred to a new Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, and not the homicide.
In William S. Burroughs' book Junkie, the autobiographical main character spends a period of time at "Lexington," where he checks himself in voluntarily in order to quit his heroin addiction. Burroughs and his son, William Seward Burroughs III, were both patients at the facility.[3][4]
In Alexander King's book Mine Enemy Grows Older, King recounts his sojourns at "Lexington Bluegrass Hospital," where he "heard the best jazz ever played anywhere" by a continually changing lineup of famous jazz musicians, all there voluntarily for treatment for heroin addiction.
In Gayl Jones' novel Corregidora, set around Lexington, KY, the character Jeffrene is described, late in the story, as working at the narcotics hospital.
Notable inmates (current and former)
Former
† Inmates released from custody prior to 1982 are not listed on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
^Thomas R. Kosten and David A. Gorelick (January 2002). "The Lexington Narcotic Farm" (PDF). American Journal of Psychiatry. 159 (22): 22. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.1.22. PMID 11772684.
^"Lessons from The Narcotic Farm, Part One | Points: The Blog of the Alcohol & Drugs History Society". Pointsadhsblog.wordpress.com. 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"Lessons of the Narcotic Farm, Part Four: The Literature of Lexington | Points: The Blog of the Alcohol & Drugs History Society". Pointsadhsblog.wordpress.com. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"5 Florida men get prison for plotting terrorist attacks with al Qaeda". CNN. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"Miami jury finds five guilty in Sears Tower plot". Reuters. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"Inmate Locator".
^"An Exclusive Interview with Susan Rosenberg After President Clinton Granted Her Executiveclemency". Democracy Now!. 2001-01-23. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"Voices from Solitary: Imprisoned in the First Control Unit for Women". Solitary Watch. 2011-02-26. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"Human Rights Campaign for Political Prisoners Begins" (PDF). Freedomarchives.org. March 1989. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"#375: 08-24-99 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STATEMENT REGARDING THE TRANSFER OF SILVIA BARALDINI". Justice.gov. 1999-08-24. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"Ex-Inmate Musician Returns To Jail With Guitars". Huffington Post. March 4, 2012.
^"Rodney, Red (Robert Rodney Chudnick) – Jazz.com | Jazz Music – Jazz Artists – Jazz News". Jazz.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"Helmsley Surrenders At Prison". The New York Times. 1992-04-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
^"Man pleads guilty in plot to go on 'killing spree' against blacks". CNN. 30 March 2010.
^"Tennessee Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Commit Murders of African-Americans | OPA | Department of Justice". Justice.gov. 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2015-10-07.
^"truTV - Funny Because it's tru". Trutv.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
External links
FMC Lexington - Official Federal Bureau of Prisons website
The Narcotic Farm - Documentary film regarding the Lexington Narcotic Farm
