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Lindh could serve sentence near family

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors have told the judge in the John Walker Lindh case they have no objections to Walker Lindh's request to serve his prison time near his family.

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Government officials said Monday that Walker Lindh would remain in custody of U.S. marshals in Virginia until the Bureau of Prisons completes a pre-sentence report that will recommend, among other things, the extent of security that will be required.

Officials said preparation time for such reports varies widely.

The Bureau of Prisons said it has only one federal prison facility in northern California near where most members of the Lindh family currently reside. The maximum security Atwater Penitentiary at Castle Air Force Base is 130 miles from San Francisco.

There are also prison facilities in central and southern California that officials may deem appropriate.

The facility next closest to Lindh's Marin County family is the high-security U.S. penitentiary at Lompoc, near Vandenberg Air Force Base about 175 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The nearest medium security prisons would be at Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbor or Victorville in San Bernardino, 85 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The Bureau of Prisons said it would not announce Lindh's prison location until after U.S. marshals have transported him to the facility.