No More Millions for Federal Prisons — Stop FCI Letcher!

Despite years of opposition from local residents, advocates, and leaders across party lines, along with a historic and dramatic decline in violent crime, the threat of a massive — and wasteful — new federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky still hasn’t gone away.

This proposed $505 million prison — the most expensive federal prison project in U.S. history — has resurfaced yet again in this year’s federal spending debates. While the project fell apart during last year’s final budget decisions, the fight is far from over. Lawmakers still have the power to rescind the funds or allow them to remain — whether they do or not could depend on what we, their constituents do next.

When the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is facing urgent and well-documented challenges, coupled with the trillions cut from lifesaving programs that help lower crime and incarceration rates low such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — building the most expensive federal prison in U.S. history isn’t just wasteful, it’s abhorrently wrong.

Cutting funding from our most important social services that strengthen public safety while the BOP continues to bleed money doesn’t make communities safer. It only expands a system that already incarcerates far too many people — disproportionately impacting Black, Brown, and low-income communities.

Crime is down — we don’t need another prison.

We need resources, rehabilitation programs, and real alternatives to incarceration. Tell Congress: Rescind the funding for the proposed Letcher County prison and invest in fixing what’s broken — not building more of the same.Add your name today!

*P.S. You don’t need to live in Kentucky to speak out. This is a federal project funded by taxpayer dollars, and it could incarcerate people from anywhere in the country — separating them from their families, communities, and support systems.

Rescind the funding for the proposed Letcher County prison!

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Dear Senator,

I am writing to urge you to rescind funding for the proposed federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky.

Despite years of opposition from local residents, advocates, and leaders across party lines, the proposal to construct this facility — estimated to cost $505 million and potentially the most expensive federal prison project in U.S. history — continues to resurface in federal spending debates.

At a time when the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is already facing significant and well-documented challenges, constructing a new facility would be a misguided use of federal resources. The agency is grappling with serious staffing shortages that strain safety, programming, and operations across the federal prison system.

Spending more than half a billion dollars to construct a new prison is especially troubling at a time when lifesaving programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — initiatives that help keep people out of prison — have already faced deep federal cuts that impact millions of people across the country.

Redirecting taxpayer dollars toward expanding incarceration while critical programs that support health, food access, and stability are being reduced does not make communities safer. It only deepens inequities and diverts resources away from the solutions that truly strengthen families and communities.

We urge you to take this opportunity to move in a different direction.

Please rescind the funding for the proposed Letcher County prison and prioritize investments that strengthen communities, expand rehabilitation programs, and support evidence-based alternatives to incarceration.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your commitment to responsible use of federal resources.