The Florida State Prison has approximately 95,000 inmates at any given time and oversees 164.00 offenders in the community. Florida has a complex system of facilities and probation officers throughout the state to ensure that all those convicted of crimes are carefully monitored. Ongoing monitoring allows for citizens to feel safe while also making sure that convicted individuals serve for their offenses.
If you are reaching out to someone already incarcerated, you may decide to look into a background check to see what the charges were that got them in prison. The information regarding the arrest and conviction will be part of the public record, which can be attained in a variety of ways. You can submit a public record request through the department that arrested them. You should also be able to find information through the county that convicted them.
Tracking down the information you want through public records requests can be frustrating and time-consuming. Another option is to search the individual through an online information database like Go Look Up. Once public information is submitted online, it is available through online databases. For inmates, the cases are no longer open, so the data should be available online.
If you are looking for someone you know who is incarcerated, you may be able to get the location of the inmate through friends or family or from the inmate directly if they reach out to you. Once you know the jail they are at; you can reach out to that facility.
If you are attempting to contact a Florida prison inmate, there is a clear procedure you must follow to make contact with an inmate either by phone or in person. You can also send letters to inmates with the understanding that all envelopes and packages will be opened to search for contraband.
You are allowed to send written letters that are less than 15 pages on 8.5 by 14” paper. Although you are limited to 15 pages, you are permitted to write on both sides of each page. You are allowed to send photos, but they cannot contain nudity of any kind. You can also send self-addressed stamped envelopes, blank greeting cards, and postage stamps.
You are not permitted to send packages or letters in anything other than envelopes. You also need to send your letters via U.S. Mail service. Letters that arrive by any other delivery service will be refused.
Although Florida inmates are not permitted to access the internet freely, they are provided with a means of receiving secure emails through a system called JPay. JPay is a Florida company that offers secure multimedia services, including email.
Under Florida State Prison regulations, inmates are allowed to receive books, magazines, newspapers, or other publications, but the prison must approve them. The Florida State Prisons website has a list of reading materials that will not be accepted. There is an extensive list of restrictions, so it is essential to review the rules before sending anything.
Communicating with inmates can be difficult, but it is not impossible. If an inmate is on restriction, you may be blocked from contacting or visiting for a period. If you send things that are restricted, they will not make it to the inmate, and they may contact you regarding what you are and are not allowed to send.
If you are only trying to figure out where an inmate is, you can find that information online and verify it with the prison directly by calling. When you search online, you can access arrest records, convictions and mug shots, or any other information you need regarding the individual. Information regarding their conviction will all be public record.