Jefferson Correctional Institution Overview
Jefferson Correctional Institution is operated by the Florida Department of Corrections, not by the Jefferson County Sheriff. It sits at 1050 Big Joe Road in Monticello, about 25 miles east of Tallahassee, and it appears in the department's Region 1. It is a male institution that holds sentenced state prisoners. The 2015 federal PREA audit described it as a Level 4 institution housing close, medium, minimum, and community custody offenders. This is a sentenced-prisoner facility, so people awaiting a first appearance after a local arrest are not held here.
The campus is large for the area. The 2015 audit reported 30 structures on 240 acres, a secure compound ringed by parallel 12-foot chain link fences with razor ribbon, an electronic monitoring system, an armed perimeter patrol around the clock, and three elevated towers, two of them manned and armed. Housing included seven open-bay dormitories and quad cell units, plus an administrative confinement building with two wings and 60 beds.
Jefferson Correctional Institution Capacity and Population
The 2015 PREA audit listed a capacity of 1,185 offenders for the institution. A separate 2020 correctional-population data set placed the count near 1,106. The Florida Department of Corrections facility directory does not publish a live capacity figure on its directory page, so the numbers below carry their source and year and should be read as point-in-time references rather than a current count.
These state prison figures are entirely separate from the county jail's average daily population and should never be added to it.
How to Look Up an Inmate at Jefferson Correctional Institution
The correct tool is the Florida Department of Corrections offender search, not the county jail report. The FDC offender search menu offers population, release, escape, and supervision searches, and the inmate population search finds a sentenced prisoner by name or DC number. The DC number is a six-character identifier, and a county jail Resident ID is not the same thing.
- Open the FDC inmate population search.
- Search by last name, or by the six-character DC number if you have it.
- Open the offender detail page to confirm the facility, custody, and status.
- Check the sentence and release information, which FDC updates on a nightly basis.
FDC notes that inmate population information and photos refresh weekly, while release dates and location changes refresh nightly, and that location or status can change quickly.
FDC Offender Search Options
The Florida Department of Corrections offender system is broader than a single inmate search. The menu splits into several databases, and choosing the right one saves time, since a person on community supervision will not appear in the prison population search.
- Inmate Population Information Search, for current and past state prisoners.
- Inmate Release Information Search, covering releases since October 1997.
- Inmate Escape Information Search, created at the time of an escape.
- Supervised Population Information Search, for offenders on FDC community supervision.
- Absconder and Fugitive Information Search, for those who left supervision.
The database covers felony offenders sentenced to state prison or state supervision. It does not include people held in a county jail or on county probation, so a county case still in progress will not show here. Questions can go to the FDC Bureau of Classification and Central Records at 850-488-9859.
Jefferson Correctional Institution Address and Contact
The institution publishes its address and phone through the FDC facility directory. Use the FDC main facility line for general questions, and use FDC channels rather than county jail lines for anything about a prisoner here.
Jefferson Correctional Institution
1050 Big Joe Road
Monticello, FL 32344-0430
850-342-2600
Fax: 850-997-0973 (FDC facility)
For records and classification questions, FDC's Bureau of Classification and Central Records can be reached at 850-488-9859.
Visiting Someone at Jefferson Correctional Institution
State prison visitation works very differently from a county jail. Visits require approval through the Florida Department of Corrections, which means going through the FDC visiting process and an approved visitor list rather than calling a jail officer. The county jail's cell-area rule does not apply here. Because the institution's exact visit days and times are set through FDC and can change, confirm them through FDC visiting information before traveling.
| Visit Detail | State Prison Rule |
|---|---|
| Approval | Visitors must be approved through the FDC visiting process. |
| Scheduling | Set by FDC and the facility; confirm current days and times before you travel. |
| Identification | Bring a valid government ID and follow FDC visitor rules. |
| Where to confirm | FDC visiting information; facility phone 850-342-2600. |
Mail, Phone, and Money at Jefferson Correctional Institution
Communications and deposits here use Florida Department of Corrections systems and vendors, not the county jail kiosk or the county Paytel arrangement. The key identifier is the inmate's DC number. Mail, phone, and money each follow FDC rules, so use the department's contact-an-inmate and deposit resources to get the current vendor, format, and limits.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail Address | Use the FDC mailing format with the inmate name and DC number; confirm through FDC. |
| Phone / Video | FDC prison communications; county Paytel rules do not apply here. |
| Money Deposit | FDC deposit process; the county lobby kiosk is not used for this prison. |
Reception and Classification at Jefferson Correctional Institution
People do not get booked into this prison off the street. After a conviction and a state prison sentence, a person leaves the county jail and enters FDC custody, where they are received and screened at a reception center. FDC says all inmates are screened after intake from the county jail to determine medical, dental, and mental health needs, then classified and assigned to a facility. Once that move happens, the county jail's phone, kiosk, and visitation rules no longer apply, and the person is tracked by DC number through the FDC system.
State Prison Terms to Know
State prison custody uses its own vocabulary, which differs from the county jail. These terms come up when you search for or contact someone at a Florida institution.
- DC number
- The six-character Florida Department of Corrections identifier for a state prisoner. It is the key search term and is not the same as a county jail Resident ID.
- Reception center
- The intake point where a newly sentenced person is screened and classified before assignment to a prison.
- Custody level
- The security classification, such as close, medium, minimum, or community custody, that affects housing and movement.
- Community supervision
- Probation or parole managed by FDC in the community rather than inside a prison.
Probation and Parole Near Monticello
Not everyone in the state system is behind a fence. The Florida Department of Corrections also supervises people in the community, and it lists a Monticello probation and parole office at 1455 South Jefferson Street, Monticello, FL 32344, reachable at 850-342-0272. That office handles community supervision rather than prison custody, so it is the right contact for someone on state probation or parole in the Jefferson County area instead of the institution itself.
About Jefferson Correctional Institution
The institution was established in 1989 and has grown into a full prison campus. The 2015 PREA audit listed program and service buildings including a visiting park, a chapel, a vocational, education, and grounds building, and a library, transition, and substance abuse program building. There was a food services building, a laundry, a health and classification building, and a farm area, along with inmate canteens, a barbershop, and recreation space for basketball, soccer, volleyball, and a walking track. The medical building held nine infirmary beds and two respiratory isolation cells. FDC published a more recent PREA audit for the institution dated November 2024, which is the current conditions and compliance source. A 2022 state report referenced a records-falsification matter at the institution, but that snippet needs fuller official context before it can be detailed here.
The recreation and program spaces in the 2015 audit point to a much broader set of services than a county jail offers. The campus included basketball, shuffleboard, football, soccer, volleyball, a walking and running track, and table tennis, along with inmate canteens and a barbershop. FDC is responsible for a constitutional standard of care once a person is admitted, including medical, mental health, and dental services, and it screens every incoming inmate at a reception center. Those are state prison functions and should not be confused with the county jail's limited intake services.
Note: Confirm custody, location, and visitation through the Florida Department of Corrections before traveling, since a prisoner's facility and status can change quickly.