Florida houses female inmates in four state-run institutions, one privately operated prison, and six community release centers, with a separate federal facility in Tallahassee for women sentenced in federal court. Most of the state’s female prisons in Florida sit on a single campus in Ocala, and every woman newly committed to state custody passes through that campus before being assigned elsewhere.
State-Run Women’s Institutions
The Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) operates four major facilities that hold women:1Florida Department of Corrections. Facility Directory
- Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala. The oldest and largest women’s prison in the state, holding inmates at every custody level from community and minimum through maximum security. Capacity is roughly 968.2Florida Department of Corrections. Lowell Correctional Institution
- Lowell Work Camp, on the same Ocala campus, for minimum-custody women on work details.
- Florida Women’s Reception Center, also in Ocala. It processes every newly committed female inmate in the state, provides in-patient mental health treatment, houses short-sentence inmates, and maintains a general population.3Florida Department of Corrections. Florida Women’s Reception Center
- Homestead Correctional Institution in Florida City, Miami-Dade County. The only major women’s facility in South Florida.4Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Correctional Facilities Directory
Older directories sometimes list six state-run women’s facilities. That count included Hernando Correctional Institution, which now houses men, and treated Lowell Annex as separate rather than as part of the main Lowell complex.
Gadsden: Florida’s Only Private Women’s Prison
Gadsden Correctional Facility in Quincy is the sole privately operated prison for women in Florida, one of seven private prisons in the state overall; the other six hold men.5Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. Department of Corrections Program Summary Gadsden runs under contract with the FDOC and follows the same core rules as state-run institutions, with daily operations handled by a private contractor.
Community Release Centers for Women
Six community release centers (CRCs) house women approaching the end of their sentences, with a focus on employment, family reconnection, and reentry preparation. Not every inmate qualifies; placement depends on custody level, behavior, and proximity to release. The female CRCs are:1Florida Department of Corrections. Facility Directory
- SHISA House – West CRC, Tallahassee (contract)
- Bradenton Bridge CRC, Bradenton (contract)
- Orlando CRC, Orlando
- Suncoast CRC, St. Petersburg (contract)
- Atlantic CRC, West Palm Beach
- Hollywood CRC, Pembroke Pines
Federal Custody Is Separate
None of the facilities above hold federal inmates. A woman sentenced in federal court could be at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, a low-security facility that houses both men and women with a total population of about 1,169, or at a federal facility in another state entirely.6Federal Bureau of Prisons. FCI Tallahassee The distinction matters when you’re trying to locate someone.
How to Find an Inmate
For state custody, the FDOC runs a free online search covering current inmates, released inmates, supervised populations, absconders, and escapees. You can search by name or by DC number.7Florida Department of Corrections. FDOC Offender Search Recently arrested people who haven’t been sentenced to state prison won’t appear there; check the county sheriff’s site instead.
For federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons locator at bop.gov searches by name or by BOP register, DCDC, FBI, or INS number.8Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Locator If you don’t know which system holds the person, run both searches.
Mail, Calls, and Visits
Routine mail to Florida state inmates is opened and scanned by a contractor, then delivered digitally on tablets or kiosks. The paper original is held 90 days and then destroyed; you can request it back within that window with a self-addressed stamped envelope.9Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code 33-210.101 – Routine Mail Legal mail from attorneys is opened in the inmate’s presence to check for prohibited items but is not read by staff.10Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code 33-210.102 – Legal Documents and Legal Mail
Phone Calls
Inmates place outgoing calls but cannot receive them; they can receive voicemails, which are monitored like live calls.11Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code 33-602.205 – Inmate Telephone Use The phone system, run by GTL, charges $0.135 per minute for domestic calls under either collect billing or an AdvancePay prepaid account tied to your number. AdvancePay adds a $0.99 fee each time you deposit funds. Calls can run up to 30 minutes, with a 30-minute gap required between them, and every inmate gets two free five-minute calls per month.12Florida Department of Corrections. Inmate Telephone System All calls except attorney calls are recorded and monitored.
Federal rate caps under the Martha Wright-Reed Act take effect April 6, 2026, and will likely lower those costs. The new caps set prison audio calls at $0.09 per minute and video calls at $0.23 per minute, with up to $0.02 per minute allowed for facility costs.13Federal Register. Incarcerated Peoples Communication Services – Implementation of the Martha Wright-Reed Act
Video Visits
Video visitation runs through JPay, a Securus company, on tablets and kiosks. A 15-minute session costs $2.95 and is monitored.14Florida Department of Corrections. Multimedia Tablets and Kiosks
In-Person Visits
You need advance approval before visiting. The inmate mails Form DC6-111A to each person they want on their visitor list once they arrive at a permanent facility; the form is also downloadable from the FDOC site. Return the completed form by mail or email to the classification department at the specific institution. Everyone twelve and older must submit one; children under twelve can visit without.15Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code 33-601.715 – Visitation Application
Classification staff run a background check on every applicant. Approval can be denied for a history of advocating violence, violating facility rules, or posing a security risk. Once approved, you must follow the institution’s conduct and dress code at every visit; violations can end the visit and cost you future privileges.