Contacting an Inmate

By Mail:

To send a letter to an offender, follow these steps:

If you know the offender's location and Department of Corrections number (DC#):

1. Look up the mailing address of the facility in our facility directory or by finding the Facility Profile. The Facility Profile will also include directions for driving to the facility.
   
   
2. Write the offender utilizing the below format:
   
   Address the envelope as follows:

   Offender's committed last name, first name, DC#
   Facility name
   Mailing address
   City & State, Zip Code

   Example:
   
   

   Doe, John DC# 012456
   Some Correctional Institution
   1212 South Street
   Any Town, Florida 11111

   * The inmate will provide you with the DC#. The DC# can also be located through the Inmate Population Information Search.
   
   
3. You may include with your letter any of the following:
   • pictures (no polaroids)
   • for a list of prohibited enclosures, please see Chapter 33-210.101, Florida Administrative Code
   • DO NOT send money of any type. For information on sending money, please see the instructions for inmate deposits.
     
     
4. Please do not send any packages.
   
   If you do not know the offender's location or DC#, then find the offender using our inmate population search. This will provide the DC# and the facility in which the offender is located. Proceed with step 1 above.

By Phone:

Incoming telephone calls for offenders will not be accepted. In the event of family emergency (such as serious illness or death in the family) you may contact the chaplain's office. The chaplain will notify the offender.

Offenders, except those in administrative confinement, disciplinary confinement, close management or on death row are allowed to make collect telephone calls. Offenders are allowed to place up to 10 telephone numbers on their authorized phone list. If the offender has not placed your number on the list, he or she cannot call you.

Offenders can change their phone list every six months. There are two exceptions to this policy:

1. If someone already on the list changes his or her phone number, the offender can have the new number placed on the list.
2. If an offender gets married, he or she can have the spouse added to the list.

All telephone calls are limited to 10 minutes and are subject to monitoring (except legal counsel).

By E-Mail:

Inmates are not authorized access to the Internet for obvious security reasons. Therefore, inmates can not send or received e-mail.

See also the frequently asked questions about writing to an inmate.