Are Florida Inmate Records Public Information?
Yes, Florida inmate records are open to members of the public under the state's Freedom of Information Act (the Florida Sunshine Law). Anyone can conduct a Florida inmate search or request records on incarcerated individuals from the official custodians (the correctional or detention facilities in Florida). For example, an individual may query a corrections department to determine an inmate's custody status, find out why someone is in jail, or find out who's in custody.
However, access to an inmate record in Florida may be withdrawn if the record is restricted by law or court order. This may be the case if a record's release would threaten public safety or if disclosure would constitute an unreasonable violation of privacy rights. A case in point is the educational record of a Florida inmate, which is exempt from public access under Sections 1002.22(2) and 1002.221 of the Florida Statutes.
Florida Inmate Search
Florida inmate records describe the collection of official documents detailing personal and administrative information compiled on individuals incarcerated in correctional and detention facilities in Florida. These records are public information per Florida's Sunshine Law. As a result, interested members of the public may obtain copies upon request. Persons who obtain such records can expect to find Florida inmate mugshots, names, ages, genders, locations, registration numbers, jail transfer information, and custody status. Essentially, Florida inmate records reveal a great deal about who's in custody in the Sunshine State.
Besides issuing copies of inmate records to the public, a correctional agency in Florida may also provide an inmate records database (also called a Florida inmate search service) that interested persons can use to find someone in jail or prison. For instance, incarcerated individuals serving life sentences.
Inmate records are considered public in the United States and, therefore, are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide the following:
- The location of the sought-after record, including the state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
How to Find Someone in Jail in Florida
County sheriff's offices in Florida maintain in-custody inmate databases that the public can scour to find out what jail someone is in. Since these databases are created from Florida inmate records and serve to further public safety and information, an interested party can conduct a Florida inmate search on them to find out why someone is in jail. Details about an inmate's charges, custody status, arrest, and more are obtainable upon the Florida inmate search.
Additionally, the Florida county sheriffs maintain designated telephone lines and provide online resources to aid persons who want to know how to find someone in jail or find out why someone is in jail in their respective counties.
How Do I Send Money to an Inmate in Florida Prisons or Jails?
The only way to send money to an inmate in a Florida state prison is via JPay. This is the only inmate funds processor approved by the FDC. JPay offers five ways for friends and family members to send money to inmates:
- Cash deposits at MoneyGram agent locations
- Money orders sent to JPay's postal address
- Debit/credit card deposits over the phone
- Debit/credit card deposits online at www.JPay.com
- Fund transfers via JPay mobile apps
When sending money from a MoneyGram agent location, an individual must provide this recipient code: 5188. Funds sent this way are available to inmates within 1 – 3 days. To send a money order, mail along with a JPay deposit slip (in Spanish) and make the money order payable to JPay. Send the money order and deposit slip to:
JPay
P.O. Box 260010
Hollywood, FL 33026
There is a 50-cent processing fee charged on each money order deposited. Funds deposited by money order are available to inmates within ten business days. Sending money online, by phone, and via JPay mobile apps is quicker. To deposit money by phone, call (800) 574-5729. This toll-free line is available 24/7. If opting to use JPay mobile apps, an individual can download them for iPhones and Android phones.
Private prisons in Florida do not use JPay to handle inmate funds. To send money to inmates in these facilities, contact them for deposit information.
Similarly, Florida county jails have different policies for inmate funds and commissary accounts. Most of them allow friends and family to make cash and credit card deposits at payment kiosks placed in their lobbies. Other commonly used methods include debit/credit card deposits online and by phone. For specific information, visit the jail information section of the county website.
How to Get Approved to Visit an Inmate in Florida Prisons and Jails
The FDC makes visitation rules and regulations for Florida state and private prisons. Persons who wish to visit an inmate in these facilities must be approved and placed on the inmate's visiting list. To request visitation approval, submit a completed and signed visitation application form. All prospective visitors aged 12 and older must complete this form. Only one person can use a form.
Mail the completed form to the Classification Department of the inmate's current location using the prison lookup tool. Alternatively, the intending visitor may submit this form by email to the facility email address. The FDC typically uses the following format for facility email addresses: visitapp(facility)@fdc.myflorida.com. For example, the Apalachee Correctional Institution will have the following email address for visitation form submission: visitappapalacheeci@fdc.myflorida.com, while the corresponding address for the South Florida Reception Center email will be visitappsfrc@fdc.myflorida.com. Use the following email addresses for Florida private prisons:
- Bay Correctional Facility - visitappbcf@geogroup.com
- Blackwater River Correctional Facility - visitappbrcf@geogroup.com
- Gadsden Correctional Facility - visitappgadsdencf@fdc.myflorida.com
- Graceville Correctional Facility - visitappgrcf@geogroup.com
- Lake City Correctional Facility - lakecityvisitation@corecivic.com
- Moore Haven Correctional Facility - visitappmhcf@geogroup.com
- South Bay Correctional Facility - visitappsbcf@geogroup.com
It takes 30 days for state and private correctional facilities to process visitation requests. Inmates are notified about final decisions, and they can then notify applicant visitors.
For FDC rules about what to wear, what to bring, and what to expect during visitations, check the visitor information page of its website. The public can visit inmates in a Florida prison during the following holidays:
- New Year's Day
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Third Monday in January)
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veteran's Day (November 11th)
- Thanksgiving Day
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
For holidays that fall on Saturday, Florida prisons observe the preceding Friday as a holiday, while the Monday after holidays occurring on Sunday will be observed as a holiday.
Visitation times, rules, and regulations for Florida county jails vary from one facility to another. Visit the jail section of the county website to look up this information.
How to Find a County Inmate Roster in Florida
A county inmate roster carries information about all incarcerated individuals in a regional jail facility. Local sheriffs in Florida provide jail or inmate rosters to the public to enable them to conduct a Florida inmate search and find out who's in custody. These rosters may carry inmate names, mugshots, identifying numbers, etc. Hence, a local sheriff's website should be the first place to check when trying to find county inmate rosters or jail roster mugshots in Florida.
County inmate rosters may be provided in list format or as a database that can be searched with inmate details such as a last name. Some databases also provide the option of executing an inmate search with pictures to find Florida inmate mugshots.
How to Perform a Florida Prison Inmate Search
The FDC maintains inmate records of individuals incarcerated in state-run and state-supervised private prisons in Florida. The agency provides a Florida inmate lookup tool that interested persons may use to perform a free inmate search by name or a free inmate search with pictures.
Using this Florida prison inmate search tool, a person can find inmates by DC number (a six-character numeric or alphanumeric designation unique to each inmate in correctional facilities overseen by the FDC). Furthermore, the searcher may provide known aliases to make the Florida prison inmate search more specific. In addition to an inmate's name, the search result will include the inmate's current location, status, release date, and photo.
Note that the previous guidelines do not apply to Florida prison inmate searches performed to find someone in a federally-run prison in Florida. For federal inmate searches, a person must use the Bureau of Prisons' inmate lookup system. However, each inquirer must provide information such as an inmate's name or number to complete a federal prison inmate search on the system.
How to Perform a Florida Jail Inmate Search
Each Florida county jail has a Florida jail inmate search tool that interested persons may use to perform an inmate search in Florida. Generally, this search tool is hosted on the jail webpage - typically a section of the Sheriff's Office website. The Division of Library and Information Services compiles a database of county jail websites and free resources on how to find out if someone is in jail in Florida.
Most county jails regularly publish inmate rosters, while others direct interested searchers to visit in person for a Florida inmate lookup. When these options are unavailable or inconvenient, interested searchers may call the county jail or the Sheriff's Office directly to request a Florida jail inmate search and find a person in jail.
Florida State Prisons and County Jails: Understanding the Difference
Prisoners in Florida are held in either Florida state prisons or county jails. There are 128 state prisons and 87 county jails in Florida.
State prisons in Florida are operated by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). As of June 30, 2020, the FDC was responsible for 87,736 inmates in its facilities. In 2019, the total population of state prisoners in Florida was 95,626 inmates.
The remaining prisoners in Florida are housed in county jails. The sheriff's office operates county jails in each respective county. As of midyear 2019 (the most recent county jail statistics), there were 87 county jails across Florida, with a total population of 64,710 inmates.
Altogether, about 160,336 prisoners were incarcerated in Florida state prisons and county jails in 2019. According to the FDC, Florida had an incarceration rate of 413.7 per 100,000 residents by June 30, 2020. This rate was higher than the national average of 358 per 100,000 residents in 2020.
How Do I Find Out an Inmate Release Date?
Concerned persons who wish to find out a current inmate's release date can perform an inmate lookup using the Florida inmate locator provided by the Department of Corrections. Besides inmates' personal data and offense summary, a Florida inmate search also provides inmates' expected release dates. This Florida inmate locator is also useful for finding the release date of formerly incarcerated persons.
Facilities Operated by the Florida Department of Corrections
The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) oversees the operations of all state and private detention facilities in the state. It manages 143 facilities, including 50 major correctional institutions, 34 work centers, seven private prisons, two road prisons, three reentry centers, one forestry camp, and one basic training camp. The FDC also runs 12 work release centers and oversees another 16 privately operated work release centers. There are 67 county jails in the Sunshine State.
The FDC refers to state-run prisons as Correctional Institutions. Only the Florida State Prison located in Bradford County has the word "prison" in its name. Privately operated prisons are referred to as Correctional Facilities. While the FDC oversees the contracts of private work release centers, the Florida Department of Management Services is responsible for the contracts of private prisons. The three corporations contracted by the state government to run private prisons in Florida are GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management and Training Corporation. In Florida, both state and private prisons hold individuals with sentences longer than a year and individuals serving life sentences. Inmates with shorter sentences are held in county jails.
The following are the addresses of some Florida state prisons and correctional institutions:
Adolescent Residential Campus
5970 South Orange Blossom Trail,
Intercession City, FL 33848
Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center FL
3440 Northeast 39th Avenue,
Gainesville, FL 32609
Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center
450 East 11th Street,
Panama City, FL 32401
Brevard Juvenile Detention Center
5225 Dewitt Avenue,
Cocoa, FL 32927
Broward Correctional Institution 2012
20421 Sheridan Street,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33332-2300
Collier Juvenile Detention Center
3315 East Tamiami Trail,
Naples, FL 34112
DeMilley Correctional Institution
10980 DeMilley Road,
Polk City, FL 33868-0000
Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center
1241 East 8th Street,
Jacksonville, FL 32206-4099
Escambia Regional Juvenile Detention Center
1800 St. Mary Avenue,
Pensacola, FL 32501
FL DOC - Apalachee Correctional Institution East (Male)
35 Apalachee Drive,
Sneads, FL 32460-4166
FL DOC - Apalachee Correctional Institution, West Unit
52 West Union Drive,
Sneads, FL 32460-4165
FL DOC - Arcadia Road Prison
2961 N.W. County Road 661,
Arcadia, FL 34266-8203
FL DOC - Atlantic Community Release Center (Female)
263 Fairgrounds Road,
West Palm Beach, FL 33411-3639
FL DOC - Avon Park Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1100 County Road 64 East,
Avon Park, FL 33826-1100
FL DOC - Baker Correctional Institution
20706 US Highway 90 West,
Sanderson, FL 32087-0500
FL DOC - Baker Re-Entry Center
17128 U.S. Highway 90 West,
Sanderson, FL 32087
FL DOC - Baker Work Camp
20706 US Highway 90 West,
Sanderson, FL 32087-2359
FL DOC - Berrydale Forestry Camp
6920 Highway 4, Jay,
FL 32565-2204
FL DOC - Big Pine Key Road Prison
P.O. Box 430509 450 Key Deer Blvd,
Big Pine Key, FL 33043-0509
FL DOC - Bradenton Bridge (Female)
2104 63rd Avenue, East,
Bradenton, FL 34203-5012
FL DOC - Brevard Correctional Institution
855 Camp Road,
Cocoa, FL 32927-3709
FL DOC - Bridges of Jacksonville
601 Agmac Avenue,
Jacksonville, FL 32254
FL DOC - Bridges of Lake City
1099 N.W. Dot Gln,
Lake City, FL 32055-2564
FL DOC - Bridges of Pompano
400 F SW 2nd Street,
Pompano Beach, FL 33060-6822
FL DOC - Bridges of Santa Fe
2901 Northeast 39th Avenue,
Gainesville, FL 32602-1202
FL DOC - Broward Bridge
5600 Northwest 9th Avenue,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309-2800
FL DOC - Calhoun Correctional Institution
19562 Southeast Institution Drive,
Blountstown, FL 32424-5156
FL DOC - Calhoun Work Camp
19564 SE Institution Drive,
Blountstown, FL 32424-5156
FL DOC - Central Florida Reception Center
7000 H C Kelley Road,
Orlando, FL 32831-2518
Hillsborough FL Juvenile Detention - East
9504 East Columbus Drive,
Tampa, FL 33619
Hillsborough FL Juvenile Detention - West
3948 West Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd,
Tampa, FL 33614
Hollywood Transition Work Release Center - Women
8501 W. Cypress Drive,
Hollywood, FL 33025-4542
Indian River Correctional Institution
7625 17th Street SW,
Vero Beach, FL 32968-9405
Kissimmee Juvenile Correctional Center
2330 New Beginnings Road,
Kissimmee, FL 34744
Leon Regional Juvenile Detention Center
2303 Ronellis Drive,
Tallahassee, FL 32310
Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center
1803 Fifth Street West,
Bradenton, FL 34205
Marion Regional Juvenile Detention Center FL
3040 Northwest 10th Street,
Ocala, FL 34475
Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center
3300 Northwest 27th Avenue,
Miami, FL 33142
Milton Girls Juvenile Residential Facility
5770 E. Milton Road,
Milton, FL 32583
Monroe Juvenile Detention Center
5503 College Road,
First Floor,
Key West, FL 33040
New River Correctional Institution
7819 Northwest 228th Street,
Raiford, FL 32026-3000
New River O Unit
7819 Northwest 228th Street,
Raiford, FL 32026-3000
Okaloosa Regional Juvenile Detention Center
4448 Straight Line Road,
Crestview, FL 32539
Orange Regional Juvenile Detention Center
2800 South Bumby Avenue,
Orlando, FL 32806
Palm Beach Juvenile Detention Center
1100 45th Street, Bldg A,
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Pasco Juvenile Detention Center
28534 State Road 52,
San Antonio, FL 33576
Pinellas Juvenile Detention Center
5255 140th Avenue North,
Clearwater, FL 33760
Polk Regional Detention Center
2390 Bob Phillips Road,
Bartow, FL 33830
Southwest Florida Regional Juvenile Detention Center
2525 Ortiz Avenue,
Ft. Meyers, FL 33905
St. Johns Juvenile Correctional Facility
4500 Avenue D,
St. Augustine, FL 32085
St. Lucie Regional Juvenile Detention Center
1301 Bell Avenue,
Ft. Pierce, FL 34982
Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center
3840 Old Deland Road,
Daytona Beach, FL 32124
