Department of the Jail - Acting Major Charlie Lee

• Security Operations - (352) 491-4558 or (352) 491-4529
• Support Services Division
  • Professional Support Bureau - (352) 491-4471
• Inmate Services Division
  • Community Outreach Bureau - (352) 491-4525
  • Booking Support Bureau - (352)491-4505 or (352) 367-4022
  • Transportation & Facilities Bureau - (352)491-4505 or (352) 491-4468

 

 

 

 

Community Outreach Bureau

The Inmate Programs and Services Bureau oversees and coordinates Inmate Programs and Chaplaincy for the Department of the Jail Inmate population.

Inmate Programs is an integral part of inmate support services and has expanded significantly over the past 2 years. Some of the programs that the Programs Unit is responsible for is as follows:

• GED Class and GED tests provided by the Alachua County School Board
• Life Skills-Teaches skills to help transition back into society including budgeting, self-analysis and self worth
• Substance Abuse Class—Drug and alcohol counseling provided by Meridian Health Care
• Anger Management Class—To learn skills to cope with Anger and frustration in a positive way (Does not satisfy Court Ordered Anger Management class)
• Art Class—A self expression class using pens, pencils and water colors
• Tutoring Programs—To provide a one-on-one tutor for those that need extra help with reading and math
• "Ready for Change"—A bible study class for females dealing with change through Bible Study provided by the House of Hope
• Typing Class—Learning the keyboard in a self-paced atmosphere
• Word Class—Learning Microsoft Word in a small group atmosphere
• Parenting Class—Teaching age appropriate interaction with children (Does not satisfy Court Ordered Parenting class)
• Kitchen Trusty Program—In coordination with the contracted Food Service provider, to provide a certificate in basic food preparation and food handling
• Creative Writing—Learning to express yourself in a constructive, creative way
• Holiday Card for Tacahale—A yearly event where the inmates make Holiday Cards for residents of Tacahale
• Newsletter—An in-house newsletter featuring inmate art work and articles
• Bible Study for Juveniles—A class to reach out to our Juvenile inmates through weekly Bible Study provided by the Rock Church

The Chaplain has numerous services as well and are as follows:

• One on one counseling
• Spiritual Counseling
• AA
• NA
• Faith Based Substance Abuse assistance
• Out patient Mental Health Counseling
• Short term housing referral at St. Francis House
• The Wells House: A 90 day transitional program to integrate men back into the community.
• The House of Hope: A residential program that provides Men and Women a second chance to better themselves
• Florida Food Network: A program that will allow a person to buy food at a very low cost. Eligibility: Any one who volunteers 2 hours or more hours/month for a non-profit organization.
• Religious services are provided at the DOJ by over 50 local congregations.

The Alachua County Sheriff's Office Chaplaincy Program is committed to Serving the men and women housed at the DOJ and helping their families.

Security Operations Division

The Security Operations Division is responsible for the overall security of the Department of the Jail and overseeing the safety of personnel and inmates.

Detention Deputies and Detention Officers are responsible for the management, accountability, and supervision of each and every inmate detained in the Department of the Jail. Their duties involve supervising and coordinating the daily activities within the facility. Some of these duties are service of meals, recreation, visitation, inspections of housing areas for sanitation and security breaches, Inmate Counts, internal movement to educational and religious programs, Medical Clinic visits, distribution of linen and hygiene items, Inmate Commissary, reporting facility rule violations by inmates, resolving disputes between inmates, and response to any type of emergency situation within the Jail.

 

 

 

 

 

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Support Services Division

The Support Services Division is responsible for analysis of inmate population data for use in the evaluation of diversion efforts and jail space needs planning. Division personnel are heavily involved in criminal justice community efforts to manage the jail population such as the Public Safety Coordinating Council. Responsibilities include research, gathering data and making recommendations to the DELTA subcommittee of the PSCC as requested. Personnel participate in various associated workgroup activities.

In 2009 The Urban Institute chose Alachua County as one of three in the nation to participate in the Jail Reinvestment at the Local Level initiative of the Urban Institute. The goal is to develop a community wide strategy to reduce jail population in order to reinvest in re-entry or other programming. The Division is responsible for local initiative coordination.

Medical Services

Medical Services are provided under contract and monitored by the Support Services Division. The current contract provider is Prison Health Services.

The Support Services Division is responsible for maintaining NCCHC accreditation (National Commission on Correctional Health Care). The Department of the Jail handles all aspects of compliance at their level.

Mental Health Services

Mental Health Services are provided under contract and monitored by the Support Services Division. The current contract provider is Prison Health Services. The unit is responsible for provision of mental health services to inmates including medication management, treatment planning and crisis intervention.

Professional Support Bureau

The Professional Support Bureau Chief oversees the Classification Unit and the Jail Diversion Specialist, as well as tracking the inmate population and acts as liaison between the facility and the community mental health provider as well as various agencies within the criminal justice community.

Classification Unit

The Classification Unit is responsible for the evaluation, classification and reclassification of all inmates with consideration given to the level of security risk, potential for violence, institutional behavior and medical or mental health needs among other factors. Classification personnel assist in inmate management via casework, crisis intervention and conflict resolution. Additionally, Classification personnel are responsible for gain time (county sentenced only), tracking inmate conflicts, monitoring grievances, requests and inmates in disciplinary or administrative confinement, juvenile and infirmed inmates among other responsibilities.

Jail Diversion Specialist

The Jail Diversion Specialist is responsible for screening and referring eligible inmates to various diversion programs, tracking referrals and participating as part of the forensic community's diversion efforts including the Forensic Diversion Team.

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Inmate Services Division

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Booking Support Bureau

The Booking Support Bureau is a 24 hour operation staffed by 48 civilian employees. The Bureau supports the admission and release duties of the Security Operations Division and the classification and follow up functions of the Classification Unit. Staff assigned to this area must input booking and release related data based on set criteria to facilitate the accuracy of criminal history information maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In addition, the Booking Support Bureau is responsible for a myriad of other administrative processes ranging from handling inmate property, mail, and money to coordinating court events and conducting sex offender/predator registrations.

First Appearance – All new arrestees appear before a judge within 24 hours of intake. The First Appearance proceeding is held via closed circuit television with arrestees (defendants) remaining at the jail. Family or persons who wish to attend the proceeding must attend at the Criminal Courthouse and are not allowed into the jail courtroom. Normal First Appearance proceedings are held at 0900 each morning for criminal cases. Arrestees who are judicially released during the proceeding will be released following final processing, usually within 2-3 hours.

Inmate Property – Before releasing property to family members or others the inmate must authorize the release in writing. The recipient of the inmate property must show picture identification and sign prior to the release of items. Inmate property is released only to the person specified by the inmate.

Inmate Mail – Effective April 1, 2010 all incoming and outgoing inmate mail must be in the form of a postcard, excluding mail deemed legal or privileged. Postcards must be standard size, pre-stamped, and must include the inmate's full name and a complete return address. No pictures, oversized postcards, or attachments are allowed; unacceptable mail will be returned to the sender.

Acceptance of Money – Deposits can be made into inmate accounts by utilizing the kiosk located in the jail lobby, by depositing a money order into the drop box located in the jail lobby, through Government Payment Service at 1-888-277-2535/on-line www.govpaynow.com, or through Western Union Payments at 1-800-634-3422/on-line www.westernunion.com.

Registrations – The Registrations Office located in the Department of Jail lobby operates during the hours of 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and holidays. Registrants must present picture identification and should anticipate the registration process to take between 20 to 30 minutes for completion.

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Transportation & Facilities Bureau

The Transportation Bureau provides safe and secure transport of defendants/witnesses to numerous court preceding. To protect the general public from dangerous in-custody defendants and to protect the defendants from the general public. The Transport Bureau also staffs each and every courtroom that has a hearing involving an inmate in our custody with officer in addition to the Bailiff's, for the purposes of maintaining order in the holding cells next to each courtroom, and keeping the inmates in our custody safe and secure.

The Facilities Support function of this bureau also provides crews to our food service provider to prepare the inmate meals and keep the kitchen clean. The bureau is also responsible for the facilities by providing supplies and materials necessary for twenty-four hour, seven-day-a-week operation.

This bureau is responsible for the screening and selection of inmate workers, commonly referred to as Trusties. Through this process inmates are also selected for the Sheriff's Inmate Work Crew, which provides free labor to government and non-profit agencies.

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