Florida Inmate Search

Under Florida Public Records statutes (chapter 119), inmate records are accessible to interested persons upon request. The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) and the sheriff’s offices across the state serve as the central repositories of inmate records. The FDC is the administrator of all state prisons, while county jails are under the supervision of the sheriff’s office in that county.

Florida inmate records contain information derived from the court and arrest records of persons incarcerated in state prisons or state supervision, county or city jails, county probation, and other correctional facilities. Typically, the following details are found on an inmate record:

• Prison or jail Identification number (known as DC number for those in state prisons)
• First and last names of the inmate, with known aliases
• The bio-data of the inmate, including the date of birth, sex, mugshot, and fingerprints
• The details of the criminal offense the inmate committed and any other prior offenses
• The prison term of the inmate, including the date of imprisonment and when the inmate will be released
• The location of the prison or correctional facility where the inmate is being detained
• Bail requirements, if acceptable

Accessing Florida Inmate Records

Interested persons may request copies of a Florida inmate record by contacting the relevant prison or jail authority. Such requests may be in writing or in-person at the location of the facility.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. Operating independently of any federal, state, or local agency, such websites may simplify the search process as they are not limited by geographic location. In addition, third-party sites typically have search engines that can be used to filter specific or multiple records. To use third-party or government websites, interested parties may need to provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that the person resides in or was accused in

However, third-party sites are independent of government sources and are not sponsored by these agencies. Because of this, record availability cannot be guaranteed.

Florida State Prisons

The prison system in Florida consists of 50 major institutions, which include 35 work camps, 17 annexes, and seven private correctional facilities. These facilities are managed by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). As of 2022, this agency cared for 84,678 inmates across all its facilities. These facilities include the Florida State Prison, Everglades Correctional Institution, Columbia Correctional Institution, and the Union Correctional Institution, the state’s largest men’s prison. The Union Correctional Institution was opened in 1913. It is a mixed-level facility with a capacity of up to 2,172 inmates.

Union Correctional Institution
7819 NW 288th Street
Raiford, Florida 32083
Phone: (386) 431-2000

The FDC also manages prison facilities in the state, the largest of which is the Lowell Correctional Institution. It is a mixed custody facility with a main unit capacity of 1,456 inmates, opened in 1956, and has a combined capacity of 2,900 inmates.

Lowell Correctional Institution
11120 NW Gainesville Road
Ocala, Florida 34482
Phone: (352) 401-5301

How To Find An Inmate In Florida?

In Florida, inmates housed in state-run facilities may be located via the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) website using the Offenders Information Search portal. The FDC collates and provides all records of inmates sentenced on felony charges in the state. Users applying the Offender Information Search portal on the FDC website to locate an inmate are required to provide the following data on the inmate:

• First name
• Last name
• Florida Department of Corrections number (DC number)

The search result may be filtered further by the following criteria: inmate population, inmate release, supervised population, and absconder/fugitive. Select the inmate population to view a record of an inmate currently in custody, and inmate release to view records of persons who were formerly in custody. The final result page provides a list of names matching the search criteria, where a user may select the relevant subject. Note, the search result shows biographical, arrest, imprisonment, and release details of the inmate.

Where the inmate is known to be in county jail, contact the sheriff’s office in that jurisdiction to locate the inmate. Typically, sheriff’s offices in larger counties provide an inmate search tool on their websites. For example, interested persons will find an Arrest Search tool on the Broward County Sheriff’s Office website to locate inmates in its custody. For Miami-Dade County, the inmate search engine is found on the county’s website. To facilitate the search for inmate locators on sheriff’s offices’ websites, use the Florida county or city jails provided here. Generally, the information required to complete the search includes the first and last names of the inmate.

How To Find A Federal Inmate In Florida?

There are eight federal detention centers in Florida, and interested persons may find inmates locked in these facilities by using the inmate locator on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website. The records provided on the website include information on federal inmates that were imprisoned from 1982 to date. Records for inmates prior to 1982 may be found with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA provides information on federal inmates that were incarcerated between 1870 and 1981.

There are two options to find an inmate on the BOP’s search tool. These include a search by name or a search by registration number. When conducting an inmate search by name, the inmate’s first, middle, and last name is required. Other information that may be filled out on the search form includes the sex, race, and age of the inmate. This additional information helps filter the search results.

In conducting a search by number, interested persons will be required to provide one of the following numbers:

• Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) number
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) number
• Bureau of Prisons (BOP) register number
• Department of Corrections (DCDC) number

Generally, a search by number option yields a more specific result because the number used is unique to each inmate; there are no two inmates with the same number.

How Do I Find Inmate Records In Florida?

While the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) provides online access to non-confidential and non-exempted information on felony convicts in its custody, interested persons are allowed to request official copies of an inmate's record. FDC provides this certified copy on request following the state’s public records law and s.945.10 of the state’s statute. However, in line with the same statutes, only redacted Florida inmate records are provided based on a review of confidential and exempted information. Note, FDC furnishes the requestor with a cost estimate before fulfilling the order. Typically, it costs 15 cents per one-sided page and 20 cents for each two-sided page, while copies are certified at $1 per page. Other costs may be added depending on the type and volume of requests.

When the request is for an active inmate, inquirers are advised to submit the written order to the facility where the person is currently housed. Alternatively, and for other types of inmate records, requestors may use the electronic public records request center on the FDC website. Requestors for inmate records may create a registered account on the webpage before completing a request. Equally, a request may be submitted anonymously via the center. Ensure that you provide as much relevant information on the subject as possible to facilitate the timely completion of the request.

To obtain certified records for inmates held in county jails in Florida, address the request to the sheriff’s office or correctional institution operating such facilities. For example, requests for Broward County jail inmates are sent to the Sheriff’s Office at 2601 West Broward Boulevard or the Main Jail Bureau at 555 Southeast 1st Avenue, both in Fort Lauderdale. For Miami-Dade inmate records, requests may be completed online or addressed to the director of Corrections and Rehabilitation at:

Dr. Martin Luther King Office Plaza
2525 NW 62nd Street
Miami, FL 33147
(786) 263–7000
mdcrinfo@miamidade.gov

Find a directory here to facilitate the search for a Florida Sheriff’s Office.

How to Put Money in an Inmate's Book In Florida?

For inmates serving terms for misdemeanors in county jails, record seekers may need to contact the facility operator to determine the appropriate means of funding an inmate's account. Payment methods vary from county to county. Typically, it includes deposits at a kiosk in the jail lobby, electronic payments, and deposits by cash, phone, or mail. For example, Broward county jails afford multiple deposit options while Miami-Dade county jails permit cash deposits at a lobby kiosk, online deposits, and deposits via telephone.

Does Florida Use JPay for Inmates?

The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) allows family and friends to send money to an inmate’s account electronically via JPay. Inmates can also use the messaging feature to communicate with loved ones and can add photo attachments to messages. Other ways of sending money to inmate trust accounts include mailing money orders because JPay is the only vendor approved by the FDC. Note that sending money to inmates by phone through JPay will incur the highest charges in Florida.

As the sole provider of money transfer services to the agency, JPAY affords the agency five different means of completing a transaction. The quickest and easiest means to fund an inmate’s account is via online deposit with a credit or debit card at JPay.com. Deposits are also made via the JPAY mobile app on Google Play or the APP Store. Alternatively, depositors may opt to make an electronic payment using a credit or debit card by calling the JPay call center toll-free at (800) 574–5729.

JPay also allows cash deposits via MoneyGram at any agent location. Use the ‘receive code’ 5188 when making a MoneyGram deposit. The deposit is made available to the inmate within 1–3 days. As a fifth option, deposits are permitted by money orders made payable to JPay. Deposit slip (Spanish copy) for money orders must be forwarded to:

JPay
P.O. Box 260010
Hollywood, FL 33026

Deposits by money orders typically include a banking processing fee payable to the DOC. Note: To fund an account of a state inmate housed in a private facility or county jail, contact the facility directly for deposit information. For further inquiries on funding an inmate’s account, call the FDC toll-free at (866) 209–7250 or email central.accounting@fdc.myflorida.com.