United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners

The United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP Springfield) is an operational federal prison located in Springfield, Missouri. It is classified as an administrative facility and is managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The prison provides medical, mental health, and dental services to male offenders.

The history of MCFP Springfield dates back to the Great Depression when the people of Springfield offered 620 acres of land to the federal government for the construction of the prison. Congress authorized the building of the prison in 1930, and it opened in 1933 as the "United States Hospital for Defective Delinquents" under superintendent Marion R. King. The surrounding land was used for farming by the prisoners until 1966, and in 1977, some of the original land was returned to the city.

Throughout its history, MCFP Springfield has housed political prisoners and spies arrested during World War II for medical treatment. Notable individuals held at the prison include Anastasy Vonsyatsky, who served a sentence for conspiring to aid Hitler's Germany, and Robert Henry Best and Herbert John Burgman, who were sentenced to life in prison for treason. Best and Burgman both died at MCFP Springfield.

The prison has also experienced prison riots in 1941, 1944, and 1959. With a population of 870, MCFP Springfield continues to provide essential medical services to federal inmates. The current warden is Jeffrey Krueger.

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