Fact Sheets  

Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System — JPATS

In 1995, the air fleets of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement merged to create the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System — JPATS.

The merger created a more efficient and effective system for transporting prisoners and criminal aliens. Managed by the U.S. Marshals, JPATS is one of the largest transporters of prisoners in the world — handling more than 1,400 requests every day to move prisoners between judicial districts, correctional institutions and foreign countries.

JPATS supports the federal judiciary through its scheduling and transportation responsibilities. JPATS transports sentenced prisoners who are in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons as well as ICE criminal and administrative aliens to hearings, court appearances and detention facilities. JPATS also provides regular international flights for the removal of deportable aliens. Military and civilian law enforcement agencies use JPATS to shuttle their prisoners between different jurisdictions at a fraction of what commercial sources would charge.

On average, JPATS completes more than 350,000 prisoner and alien movements per year. A network of aircraft, cars, vans and buses accomplishes these coordinated movements. JPATS operates a fleet of aircraft that moves prisoners over long distances more economically and with higher security than commercial airlines. Nearly all air movements are done aboard large and small jets that JPATS owns or leases. Ground transportation is usually provided by the U.S. Marshals, ICE and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

JPATS is the only government-operated, regularly scheduled passenger airline in the nation. JPATS routinely serves approximately 70 domestic and international cities, plus other major cities in the United States on an as-required basis.

Detailed itineraries are required to ensure each prisoner appears in court at a designated time. All scheduling is handled at JPATS headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. The air fleet operations center is in Oklahoma City with hubs in Alexandria, La., Mesa, Ariz., and Puerto Rico.

JPATS FY09 Numbers