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Difference Between Florida Prison and Federal Prison

What is the Difference Between Florida State Prison and Federal Prison?

Florida State Prisons are operated by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). The FDC is the largest state agency in Florida, with over 23,000 employees and a budget of over $2.5 billion in 2019. Florida State Prisons incarcerate persons found guilty of committing an offense in Florida or breaking Florida criminal laws. The FDC has 145 statewide facilities, including 50 institutions, 34 work camps, 17 prison annexes, 12 work-release centers, and four road prisons and forestry camps. The FDC also has contracts with private operators to run facilities, and there are seven private correctional facilities and 18work-release centers in the Florida Prison System.

Federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BoP) and are used to hold persons guilty of violating federal laws. This also includes persons who commit crimes across state lines, persons who commit crimes against federal officials or property, and customs and immigration violations. The BoP is a division of the Department of Justice (DoJ).

The Florida Prison System

The Florida Prison System describes the system of correctional and rehabilitation facilities and other special services operated and managed by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). The 2018-19 FDC Annual Report put the inmate population at 95,626 (91.3% male; 6.9% female), a 0.7% decrease from the previous fiscal year. The FDC also supervised over 160,000 offenders under community corrections programs.

There are 50 (46 male; 4 female) state-run correctional institutions and 7 (6 male; 1 female) private correctional facilities in the Florida Prison System. The Department of Management Services oversees the operational contracts of the private facilities. The FDC is divided into four regions, each representing a particular geographical area in the state. Region 1 covers the panhandle area; Region 2 comprises north-east and north-central areas. Region 3 encompasses the central parts, and Region 4 is made up of the southern portions of the peninsula. All correctional facilities in the state fall under the jurisdiction of a specific region.

Correctional institutions (including correctional facilities and prison annexes) housed 84.1% of Florida inmates, according to the 2018-19 FDC Annual Report. These facilities have seven security levels ranging from minimum custody to maximum custody. Work camps, Road Prisons, and Forestry Camps are minimum to medium custody facilities for inmates who demonstrated satisfactory adjustment and had completed a part of their sentence. Inmates in these facilities are assigned to community and public work squads. Release centers house inmates who participate in community work-release programs within the final 14-19 months of their sentence.

The FDC introduced temporary visitation health and safety guidelines in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. These measures, which follow the CoVID-19 protocols, will be in place until the FDC deems it fit to return to normal visitation procedures. As part of the new guidelines visitor numbers are restricted to three adults, physical barriers will be in place, and social distancing will be maintained. Visitors will be issued a facemask by the FDC, which they are required to wear for the duration of the visit.

To send funds to inmates, friends, and family of inmates can use any of JPay payment services:

  • Online web-portal.
  • Mobile phone app for iOS or Android phones.
  • Phone - Call (800) 574-5729 toll-free.
  • MoneyGram - Walk into any MoneyGram agent and use the Receive Code 5188 to send funds.
  • Money orders - USPS money orders made payable to JPay. Send with a copy of deposit slip to P.O. Box 260010, Hollywood, FL 33026. The FDC assesses a processing fee of $0.50 for funds sent via money order.

How to Lookup Inmates in Florida

Inmates incarcerated in federal facilities can be located using the inmate locator tool is on the Bureau of Prisons website. Federal inmates can be searched by name - First and Last names are required or number - Inmate number from the Bureau of Prisons (BoP), DC Department of Corrections (DCDC), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Immigration and Natural Services (INS). Information is only available for inmates incarcerated since 1982.

Interested persons may also use the inmate population search service of the Corrections Offender Network on the FDC website to locate inmates in Florida State Prisons. However, Florida inmate records are maintained by the court clerk in the courthouse where the case was heard.

Florida County Jails

Florida County jails are incarceration facilities maintained by local county governments or private companies on their behalf. Florida County jails are typically under the supervision of the County Sheriff's Office. Jails provide holding facilities for temporary and long-term detainees, including persons awaiting trial, persons unable to bond out, and convicts with relatively short sentences. They are also used to hold material witnesses in criminal cases who are considered flight risks.

There are 67 counties in Florida, each with a jail facility. There were a total of 51,272 inmates in Florida county detention facilities in December 2020, representing a 2.6% decrease from a year ago. Each jail is subject to the Florida Model Jail Standard. This standard includes mandates to maintain a classification system of inmates, and this must occur as soon as practical after detention.

How Does the Federal Prison System Work?

The Federal Prison System describes the system in the United States with which the federal government incarcerates and rehabilitates persons found guilty of breaking federal laws. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BoP), a Department of Justice (DoJ) division, administers the federal prison system, including all correctional, rehabilitation, and administrative facilities. The BoP is also charged with the welfare and custody of over 152,000 federal inmates.

All BoP correctional facilities are classified into five security levels:

  1. Minimum security facilities - Federal Prison Camps (FPCs)
  2. Low-security facilities - Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs), Correctional Institutions (CIs)
  3. Medium security facilities - Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs), US Penitentiaries (USPs)
  4. High-security facilities - US Penitentiaries (USPs)
  5. Administrative security facilities - Federal Medical Centers (FMCs), Federal Detention Centers (FDCs), Federal Transfer Center (FTC), Metropolitan Detention Centers (MDCs), Metropolitan Correctional Centers (MCCs).

Federal Correctional Complexes (FCCs) are co-located BoP facilities with different security levels.

There are eight BoP facilities in Florida - six correctional facilities and two RRMs (Residential Re-entry Management) facilities. These are Coleman FCC, Marianna FCI, Miami FCI, Miami FDC, Tallahassee FCI, Pensacola FPC, Miami RRM, and Orlando RRM.

Family and friends who wish to visit an inmate in federal prison will first need to confirm the location of the inmate. Use the federal inmate locator to identify which facility the inmate you are searching for is located. Federal inmates are routinely moved to different facilities for numerous reasons including security concerns, special programs enrolment, and medical conditions. Federal inmates are only allowed to receive approved visitors – these are visitors listed on the inmate's visiting list. Visitors on an inmate's list must be cleared by the BoP before they become approved. The BoP provides more information on visiting federal inmates on its website.

CoVID-19 protocols have been implemented at all federal government facilities, and as such, all in-person visitations at BoP facilities in Florida have been suspended indefinitely. The BoP has instituted 300-500 minutes of free phone calls for inmates to contact their families and associates to compensate for the suspension of visitations. More information on the modification of BoP operations at its facilities under CoVID-19 protocols is available on its website.