The Federal Bureau of Prisons is making a temporary program change by moving high security inmates out and medium security inmates in to the high security Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont.

Deborah Denham, public information officer for the South Central Region, said the transfer of inmates will take place over about a month’s time and will not be a permanent change.

“The facility will still be a prison and be operational,” she said.

The inmates’ destination will be made by the designation center in Grand Prairie. Denham said she is not sure if all 1,500 of the inmates housed at the facility will be moved.

The program change will not affect staffing and the staff has been notified of the change, she said.

“We are not changing job staffing or levels,” she said.

The news of the program change comes about a month after inmate Ronald Joseph, 29, was found dead in his cell. The FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons is currently investigating the death as a homicide that occurred while the facility was on lock down on Feb. 13.

The last inmate homicide at the Beaumont complex occurred less than three months ago. At approximately 2:38 p.m. Nov. 28, 2007, two staff members and an inmate were assaulted in the Special Housing Unit, in the High Security Facility, at FCC Beaumont by two other inmates. The injured staff and the inmate were transported to a hospital. The inmate was pronounced dead at approximately 4:15 p.m., as a result of his injuries. One staff member was treated and released and the other remained hospitalized for several days and was later released.

The deceased inmate was identified as Gabriel N. Rhone, 31.

Two years prior to the homicide of Rhone, Washington, D.C. resident Keith Barnes was stabbed to death in the Beaumont facility just one day after being transferred to the prison, according to the washingtonpost.com.

Denham said the previous acts of violence are not related to the program change from high to medium security inmates., adding the bureau is always looking at better ways to run the facility.