Miami-Dade County Inmate Search
Maimi-Dade County Public Records include information pertaining to arrestees and inmates apprehended or incarcerated within county limits. A county inmate search offers inquirers access to this information within the limits of the state’s provisions.
The Miami-Dade County Code of Ordinances and Florida Statutes (specifically Title XLVII) outline diverse unlawful acts that lead to citations ("Notices to Appear") and arrests in Miami-Dade County, Florida. For instance, an individual can be cited for a criminal traffic violation like Driving While License Suspended/DWLS and ordered to appear in court to answer the charges. Meanwhile, another resident who commits a felony or misdemeanor in a police officer's presence may be arrested and eventually booked at a police station. From there, the arrestee may be released on bail/bond or personal recognizance (a promise to appear for their arraignment in the future). However, if the arrestee is booked for a non-bondable offense, such as murder or kidnapping, the law requires the person to remain in jail and be taken to their arraignment within 24 hours. At this first court appearance, the state attorney's office brings the charges.
Notably, not all arrests in the Miami-Dade County area result in the filing of formal charges by a state attorney or statewide prosecutor at the arraignment. (According to the county's public defender's office, only roughly 60% of arrested adults are formally charged.) However, these are gateway incidents that can induce incarceration in a county or state prison if found guilty of a jailable offense.
Defendants sent to any of the four Miami-Dade County detention facilities (or jails) run by the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department (MDCR) usually have 364 days or less sentences or are awaiting trial. Others whose incarceration sentences exceed the one-year duration may be consigned to a state correctional institution run by the Florida Department of Corrections.
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 location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
Miami-Dade County Crime and Incarceration Statistics
The Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department publishes daily incarceration statistics on its website. Hence, an interested person must access the agency's jail population statistics page to retrieve current statistics for a particular day.
As of August 28, 2022, the Miami-Dade County inmate population was 5,805, with 108 inmates booked into the jail. Of this total, 5,693 were being supervised (4,640 in county jail facilities and 1,053 in outside facilities); the other 112 were the total inmates released.
Males comprised approximately 91% (5,194) of the jail population, whereas females made up 9% (499). The age range with the most incarcerated persons was 25-34, followed by 35-44. The primary offense that got people incarcerated in the Miami-Dade County jail system was a felony (5,341 inmates). Lastly, per the county jail's racial incarceration statistics, blacks had the highest population at 2,960 inmates, followed by whites at 2,724 inmates.
Miami-Dade County Prison System
The Corrections and Rehabilitation Department manages the correctional system in Miami-Dade County, the eighth largest of its kind in the United States. The county jail system has four detention facilities and houses between 4,000 and 4,200 inmates daily. More specifically, between March and August 2022, the jail's average daily population was 4,499. Miami-Dade County's prison system includes the following facilities:
- Pre-Trial Detention Center
- Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center
- Metro West Detention Center
- Boot Camp
How to Find an Inmate in Miami-Dade County
To find any inmate in Miami-Dade County, an individual must reach out to the county, state, or federal agency supervising the inmate - that is, the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department, the Florida Department of Corrections, or the Federal Bureau of Prisons. These agencies provide offline (mainly in-person and telephone) and online methods for locating inmates.
For inmates incarcerated within the Miami-Dade correctional system, individuals can call the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department at (786) 263-7000 (see also phone lines for specific inquiries-,Inmate%20Information,-General%20Inquiries%0APhone)) or utilize the Inmate Locator provided by the department to search online.
How Does a Miami-Dade County Inmate Search Work?
Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes (the state's Public Records Law) permits citizen access to records created, collated, or maintained by government agencies while conducting official business, except when the law disallows disclosure. Thus, several records held by the Corrections and Rehabilitation Department in Miami-Dade County are a matter of public record, including information about inmates in the department's custody.
Information that a member of the public may find upon a Miami-Dade County inmate search includes:
- Booking name (first, middle, and last name)
- Jail number
- Booking date and time
- Race
- Sex
- Date of birth
- Hair and eye color
- Height and weight
- Mugshot
- Location (i.e., the jail facility where the inmate is currently held)
- Case information, including the case number and charge
- Bond information
- Warrant information
Where to Find a Miami-Dade County Inmate Locator
The public can find the Miami-Dade County Inmate Locator (formally called the Online Inmate In-Custody Search) on the Corrections and Rehabilitation Department's website. This locator allows interested persons to retrieve information about an inmate, including their location, with a last and first name (or first initial). However, the tool can only bring up a list of inmates booked in a Miami-Dade County jail facility.
Suppose one wishes to locate an inmate held in a state or federal prison facility within Miami-Dade County. In that case, the individual searching for a state inmate can use the Florida Inmate Search tool that the Department of Corrections provides online. The inquirer can enter the inmate's name (first and last) or DC number to pinpoint the inmate's whereabouts. On the other hand, if the inmate is in federal custody, the interested person can access the Inmate Search platform offered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to search the locator with the inmate's number or name.
It is useful to mention that individuals can search for inmate information via third-party public records sites. Like the official government sites, third-party sites require basic inmate data (typically a last and first name) to pull up relevant records. However, these sites often require the payment of a fee before the dissemination of information. This fee varies according to the record provider.
How to Send Money to a Miami-Dade County Inmate
Intake staff at any Miami-Dade County jail facility create inmate trust accounts for all sentenced inmates. This account is funded with money taken from an inmate during intake and used to satisfy an inmate's money needs and debts, including paying intake fees, paying recurring expenses (e.g., non-emergency medical care), and purchasing commissary items.
Loved ones can deposit funds into the inmate's trust account in person, online, or via telephone weekly. In-person cash deposits can be made at a lobby kiosk in the Pre-Trial Detention Center, Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, or Metro West Detention Center. Notwithstanding the method used to deposit the money, family and friends must have the following information to send money to an inmate:
- The inmate's name
- The inmate's identification (jail) number
- MDCR facility number 233101
How to Visit a Miami-Dade County Inmate
Family and friends who want to visit a Miami-Dade County inmate must be on the inmate's approved master visitation list. (This is a list the inmate draws up and submits to the jail administration for approval.) Only authorized persons can visit an inmate via remote video visitation. Such persons must register and create an account on (or log into) the Corrections and Rehabilitation Department's Visitation Scheduling site. Through this platform, individuals can subsequently schedule visits with their loved ones. Persons with inquiries about the process can always call the inmate visitation unit at (786) 263-4119.
Visitors must abide by the MDCR's remote video visitation policies despite visits being conducted remotely. Otherwise, they can have their visitation privileges revoked. For example, the MDCR prohibits visitors from covering their faces or displaying inappropriate items during visits.
Furthermore, one must note that the visitation procedures for friends and family differ from that of attorneys and professional visitors. Individuals can find the latter procedures on the MDCR's Inmate Contact & Visitation page.
How to Send Jail Mail in Miami-Dade County
To send mail to an inmate in the Miami-Dade County correctional system, an individual must address the mail as specified below and convey the package through the United States Postal Service.
(Inmate's full name) (#jail number)
Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, (the inmate's cell location)
7000 Northwest 36 Street
Miami, FL 33166
The sender must write their mail on a plain white, originally lined sheet. For example, a white, loose-leaf lined notebook paper. The sender must also include their first and last name, street address, city, state, and ZIP code on the envelope and letter.
Per the Corrections and Rehabilitation Department's policies, members of the public cannot mail the following items to Miami-Dade County inmates:
- Greeting cards
- Hardcover books
- Postcards
- Publications that bear nudity or sexually-oriented material
- Paperback books, newspapers, magazines, and religious materials that are not mailed directly by a bookstore or the publisher
- Mail carrying newspaper or magazine clippings
- Stamps, papers, envelopes, pencils, pens, inappropriate images, polaroids, plastic cards, phone cards, stickers, padded or bubble mailers, lipstick marks, or glued items.
- Typed or handwritten personal correspondence on any paper besides plain white, lined paper.
- Colored paper and envelopes
Miami-Dade County Jails and Prisons
The addresses and contact information of the jail facilities within the Miami-Dade County correctional system are thus:
Pre-Trial Detention Center (map)
1321 Northwest 13st Street
Miami, Florida 33125
Phone: (786) 263-4110
Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (map)
7000 Northwest 36 Street
Miami, FL 33166
Phone: (786) 263-5341
Fax: (786) 263-5690
Metro West Detention Center (map)
13850 Northwest 41st Street
Miami, FL 33178
Phone: (786) 263-5110
Fax: (305) 597-2688
Boot Camp
6950 Northwest 41st Street
Miami, FL
Phone: (786) 263-5810
The following are the state and federal prison facilities in Miami-Dade County:
State Prison Facilities
Dade Correctional Institution
19000 Southwest. 377th Street
Florida City, FL 33034-6409
Phone: (305) 242-1900
Fax: (305) 242-1881
Homestead Correctional Institution
19000 Southwest. 377th Street
Florida City, FL 33034-6409
Phone: (305) 242-1770
Fax: (305) 242-2424
Everglades Correctional Institution
1599 Southwest 187th Avenue
Miami, FL 33194
Phone: (305) 228-2000
Fax: (305) 228-2039
South Florida Reception Center
14000 Northwest 41st Street
Doral, FL 33178-3003
Phone: (305) 592-9567
Fax: (305) 592-5628
Federal Prison Facilities
Federal Detention Center (FDC) Miami
33 Northeast 4th Street
Miami, FL 33132
Phone: (305) 577-0010
Fax: (305) 536-7368
Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Miami
15801 Southwest 137th Avenue
Miami, FL 33177
Phone: (305) 259-2100
Fax: (305) 259-2160
