The Lompoc federal penitentiary has been placed on “modified operations for a review of internal security procedures,” spokeswoman Suzanne Scott said Friday night.
Prison officials implemented the switch at 2 p.m. Friday, according to a statement sent several hours later.
“The institution will return to full operational status as soon as possible,” Scott said in a written statement. “At no time is the public in danger during this review.”
The statement did not spell out the incident that sparked the modified operations.
However, visiting hours at the federal penitentiary have been suspended until further notice, the Bureau of Prisons website stated Friday night.
The U.S. Penitentiary is a medium-security facility within the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex. The penitentiary houses 1,277 male inmates.
The prison complex also is home to the Federal Correctional Institution with 1,195 low-security inmates.
Addtionally, the site boasts satellite prison camps with more than 460 minimum-security inmates.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.