Florida Inmate Search

The correctional system in Florida is extensive, with numerous types of facilities and programs. In this state, finding an inmate may involve a slightly different procedure depending on where they are being held.

In many instances, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) is in charge of the inmate records of people locked up in government and state-supervised private prisons.

The FDOC maintains these records electronically in an easily accessible database, allowing anyone to conduct a Florida Inmate Search relatively quickly.

However, note that there will be a different procedure and possibly new tools available if you are looking for inmates in a federal or county jail.

In most cases, when you run a Florida Inmate Search, you will come across the following results:

Inmate name
Mugshot
Birth date
Nationality
The current location of the inmate (facility and unit)
Release date
Inmate's status

What Are Florida Inmate Records?

Florida Inmate Records are legal records showing personal and administrative details about people detained in the state's correctional facilities. In general, these documents may include the following:

DNA evidence
Mugshots
Forms
Fingerprints
Video and audio recordings

In particular, these records also include the following information

Offender's name
Age
Gender
Offender's current location
Inmate registration number
Status of custody
Jail transfer information

According to Florida Sunshine Laws, these records are public information, and interested members of the general public may receive a copy upon request.

However, following the completion of their sentence and a waiting period, inmates may apply for expungement to have their records sealed from public view.

What Are Florida Prison and Jail Records?

Florida has the third-largest prison and jail system in the country. This system consists of 143 different prisons across the state. Fifty are state prisons with 17 satellites, and seven are private prisons.

These facilities in Florida hold a total of 99,974 people in different types of correctional facilities.

In this state, there were 86,494 individuals in state prisons and 1,161 in local jails. On the other hand, the state's juvenile correctional facilities house 143 inmates.

Also, in Florida, there are three re-entry centers, 34 work camps, and two road prisons with one forestry camp. In addition, the state operates 28 Work Release Centers, 16 of which are private institutions.

The following is some additional statistical data taken from the records of Florida's prisons and jails:

Florida's prison population grew by 2% between 2007 and 2016.
93% of individuals incarcerated in Florida are male, and 7% are female.
People in jail or on probation make up 0.48% of the population in Florida. Of these people, 4,566 are on parole, and 214,066 are on probation.
Florida state and local corrections spending increased 474% from 1979–1980 to 2012–2013, from $677.1M to $3.8B.
Florida discharges 27,771 inmates yearly, yet 1.1 times as many inmates are admitted.

What Are the Types of Prisons and Jails in Florida?

When conducting a Florida Inmate Search, it's vital to understand Florida's extensive corrections system to locate an inmate quickly.

The following are the various types of prisons and jails in this state:

Florida State Prisons

In Florida, individuals in state prisons have access to many educational programs, stress, and anger control classes, drug treatment programs, and religious services.

The FDOC put the state's fifty prisons under the control of four regional offices to make it easier to track so many facilities. A regional director and an assistant regional director are in each office.

There are a few women-only facilities in this state, either with or without annexes, but most correctional institutions only house male inmates.

Florida Federal Prisons

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) oversees Florida's eight federal prisons. In this state, these prisons hold people who have broken federal laws by committing crimes.

Here is a list of Florida's eight federal prisons:

FCC Coleman

Florida Private Prisons or Jails

Correctional Facilities is the term used for privately run prisons or jails in Florida. While the FDC is in charge of the contracts for public work release facilities, the Florida Department of Management Services (FDMS) controls the arrangements for private prisons.

In this state, the government hired three companies, CoreCivic, Geo Group, and Management and Training Corporation, to run private prisons or jails.

The following is a list of Florida's seven correctional facilities:

Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility
Blackwater River Correctional Facility
Gadsden Correctional Facility
Graceville Correctional Facility
Moore Haven Correctional Facility
South Bay Correctional Facility
Tomoka CRC Facility

Florida County Jails

There are 67 county jails located throughout the state of Florida. Each state has one county jail, and each county Sheriff's Office is responsible for its operation.

Florida inmates wait in these facilities for their first hearing or trial and, in some cases, their sentencing.

Florida Juvenile Detention Centers

In Florida, Juvenile Detention Centers house offenders who are younger than 18 years old.

There are twenty-one juvenile detention centers in this state, and they are evenly distributed across the three geographic regions of the state.

Here is the list of juvenile detention centers in Florida.

How To Perform Inmate Search in Florida?

When conducting a Florida Inmate Search, the procedure you perform will change depending on the location of an inmate's incarceration within the state.

If you want to find out who is in a Florida state-run or state-supervised private prison, you can use the FDOC Offender Information Search tool for free.

With this search tool, you can find inmates by their DC number, a six-character number, or a letter code unique to each inmate in a department-run prison. You can also give known aliases for the inmate to make the search more specific.

After entering the correct information, the search results will show a list with the inmate's name, race, DC number, gender, date of birth, date of release, and the facility they are currently staying.

Additionally, if you click on the inmate's name, you can view additional information about them. This information may include photographs, aliases, prior imprisonments, infractions, charges, and prison terms.

But if you're looking for someone in a Florida jail, you can contact the Sheriff's Office or look them up online. They usually have tools for searching or lists of current residents.

However, if you want to find an inmate in Florida's federal prison, you'll need to contact the FBOP.

This department's website includes a feature for locating inmates. But they also give information about each facility, like the location, phone number, and fax number, which you can use to contact the prison directly. Additionally, they explain how to visit, mail, or send gifts to inmates.

Lastly, if you want to look up juvenile records in Florida, you should know that these records are private. However, you can contact the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ), which manages the state’s comprehensive juvenile detention center system.

How To Contact an Inmate in Florida?

In Florida, you cannot contact an inmate since the state does not allow them to receive phone calls. However, they may collect calls to authorized numbers such as personal landlines and private mobile phone numbers. But it is against the state's rules to make collect calls to businesses.

Before being added to the inmate's approved call list, Florida inmates must activate and verify their name, phone number, and address. However, these approved call lists are subject to change every six months or sooner under certain conditions.

Note that inmates can only talk on the phone for up to 15 minutes. In a dire situation involving a family member, members of the family should get in touch with the institution's chaplain. The chaplain will tell the person in jail, and that person may be able to make a particular phone call.

For more information about how to contact an inmate in this state, click here.

How To Visit an Inmate in Florida?

During a person's time behind bars, Florida fully supports the reunification of their family, and they encourage other family members and friends to visit.

In Florida, the FDOC makes rules and regulations for the government and private prisons about how and when people can visit.

If you want to visit an inmate in these facilities, you must fill out and sign a visitation application form. After filling out the form, you must send it to the classified department of the inmate's present location using this Facility Directory tool.

You also can send this form via email to the address listed for the facility. For example, if you want to visit an inmate at Apalachee Correctional Institution, you must send the form in this email.

But keep in mind that it takes 30 days for public and private prisons to process requests to visit. Inmates also receive final decisions and can notify visitor applicants.

Also, if you want to visit someone in county jail, you should know that the rules, times, and regulatory requirements vary from one facility to another.

How To Send Money to an Inmate in Florida?

The only way to send money to a Florida state inmate is via JPay, the only approved money processor by FDOC.

This inmate funds processor in this state provides the following five options for sending money to inmates:

Money transfers via JPay mobile application.
Over the phone debit or credit card deposit
Online debit or credit card deposits at the JPay website
Deposits of funds at MoneyGram agent sites
Money orders that are sent to JPay's mailing address

You can send money to inmates faster online, by phone, or via JPay mobile apps. You can call (800) 574-5729 to deposit money by phone. This toll-free number is open all the time. But if you want to use JPay mobile apps, you can download the application to your mobile phone.

If transferring money using a MoneyGram agent site, you must provide the 5188 recipient code. This method makes funds accessible to inmates within 1–3 days.

Alternatively, if you want to send a money order, you must enclose a JPay payment slip along with the money order and make a payment to JPay. However, money orders have a processing fee and are accessible to inmates within ten days.

It is also important to note that Florida private prisons do not use JPay to manage inmate funds. Thus, you must contact these facilities for deposit information to send money to inmates.

In the same way, different rules apply to inmate funds and commissary accounts in Florida county jails. You can go to the county website and browse the jail information part for precise details

Counties in Florida

List of Content

What Are Florida Inmate Records?
What Are Florida Prison and Jail Records?
1. What Are the Types of Prisons and Jails in Florida?
How To Perform Inmate Search in Florida?
How To Contact an Inmate in Florida?
How To Visit an Inmate in Florida?
How To Send Money to an Inmate in Florida?