Look Up Main Jail Bureau Inmates

Main Jail Bureau Overview

The Main Jail Bureau is run by the Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Detention. The sheriff describes it as an eight-story maximum-security jail next to the Broward County Courthouse at 555 SE 1st Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. It holds adult men. Most are awaiting trial or sentencing, or serving terms of less than one year, and inmates are assigned here when they are seen as escape, violence, or danger risks, or when their charges call for maximum-security housing. The facility also holds an average of about 65 juveniles charged as adults, housed apart from adults.

The Main Jail was built in 1985 for $41.6 million and first designed for 864 inmates. Two expansions, in 1988 and 1992, raised the rated capacity to 1,538. More than 400 sworn and civilian staff supervise the facility. The building also houses Central Intake, the infirmary, classification, pre-magistrate holding, and the offices that handle release and transfers.

Main Jail Bureau Capacity and Population

The Main Jail is rated for 1,538 inmates per the sheriff's facility page. The Florida Department of Corrections county detention report for June 2025 put the Main Jail average daily population at 1,225, with about 93 percent of that count pre-trial. So the building typically runs below its rated capacity while still holding more pre-trial detainees than any other Broward jail.

The image below shows the sheriff's Main Jail Bureau page, with the facility photo and its capacity and history details.

That official page is the source for the capacity, staffing, and population description used here.

How to Look Up an Inmate at Main Jail Bureau

Because the Main Jail is a county jail, the right tool is the Broward Sheriff's Office arrest search. It covers people booked into any Broward jail and shows the current location, so a Main Jail inmate appears there with the facility noted. For court charges that go beyond booking data, use the Broward Clerk.

1. Open the Broward arrest search.
2. Enter at least two letters of the last name, the first name, or both.
3. Confirm the location field shows the Main Jail.
4. Open the arrest number for the booking photo, charges, bond, and status.

Remember that housing is set by classification, so a person booked at Central Intake may later move to Conte, North Broward, or Paul Rein. Check the location field before mailing, visiting, or sending money.

Main Jail Bureau Address and Contact

The Main Jail shares the sheriff's general jail information line, and its lobby information window is open around the clock for charge and bond questions.

For charge and bond information, the sheriff also lists (954) 982-6924 and (954) 982-6925, and the Cash Bond Unit answers at (954) 831-5932.

Visiting Someone at Main Jail Bureau

Routine visits are video-based through Securus rather than in-person contact visits. Visitors register once with Securus, and account approval can take up to 48 hours. Visits are scheduled no less than one day and no more than seven days ahead, and inmates receive two one-hour visits per week. A government photo ID and appropriate dress are required, and visitors may not pass anything to an inmate.

Mail, Phone, and Money at Main Jail Bureau

Routine incoming mail is postcard-only under the sheriff's June 21, 2021 notice, addressed with the inmate's full name, arrest number, and the Main Jail mailing address. Phone service runs through Securus, with collect or prepaid billing and no incoming calls. Money is deposited through lobby kiosks, Western Union, or Access Corrections, and deposits can take 30 minutes to two hours to post.

Booking and Intake at Main Jail Bureau

Central Intake, housed inside the Main Jail, books arrests from all Broward law-enforcement agencies, with a remote booking site in Pompano Beach. The unit operates with about 255 staff and processes an estimated 40,000 arrests a year. Intake covers identification, arrest-number creation, property handling, the booking photo, fingerprints, and medical and mental-health screening. Pre-magistrate holding and classification follow, then the person is assigned to the facility that best fits their needs.

Central Intake also handles releasing, hospital details, transportation, and custody transfers, including pickups for state prison, the U.S. Marshals, and court-ordered programs. That makes the Main Jail the hinge point between a street arrest and the rest of the county system.

Programs, Medical Care, and Conditions

The sheriff's detention department provides medical and rehabilitative programs, noting that many inmates arrive with drug or alcohol addiction, mental-health problems, or both. Audit material reports 24-hour medical coverage across the four jails, and the agency says non-violent inmate work programs save Broward taxpayers more than $1.2 million a year in labor costs. The Main Jail also runs the classification and infirmary functions that route people with serious needs to the right facility.

The county launched the RISE Program with Recovery Solutions, described as a first of its kind in Florida, to provide on-site treatment for people found incompetent to proceed and to cut state-hospital delays. Jail conditions drew public attention in 2024, when news reporting raised concern about inmate deaths and the public defender pressed for stronger mental-health protocols. The sheriff reports national accreditation for the detention system.

From Arrest to State Prison

The Main Jail sits at the center of a custody path that runs in one direction for most people. The flow goes arrest, then booking at Central Intake, then first appearance at the adjacent courthouse, then county-jail housing, and, only if a felony sentence follows, transfer to state prison. Central Intake manages that final step, handling pickups for the Florida Department of Corrections, the U.S. Marshals, other agencies, and court-ordered programs.

Knowing this path tells you which lookup to use and when. While a case is open, the person is in the sheriff's arrest search. After a state-prison sentence and transfer, the lookup moves to the Florida Department of Corrections offender search. A short gap can appear during transfer, when the person has left the county roster but the state reception process is still underway.

Main Jail Bureau Lookup Questions

Is everyone arrested in Broward booked at the Main Jail?

Almost. Central Intake at the Main Jail books arrests from all county law-enforcement agencies, with a remote booking site in Pompano Beach. After classification, a person may be moved to Conte, North Broward, or Paul Rein, so the location field can change.

Who is held at the Main Jail itself?

Adult men, most awaiting trial or sentencing or serving short terms, plus higher-risk maximum-security detainees. The facility also holds an average of about 65 juveniles charged as adults, housed apart from the adult population.

About Main Jail Bureau

The Main Jail is the oldest and most central piece of the Broward jail system, and its courthouse-adjacent location shapes everything around it: first appearance, court transport, bond questions, and public-record confusion. The sheriff reports national accreditation for the detention system. Once a person is sentenced to state prison, custody transfers from the Main Jail to the Florida Department of Corrections, and the lookup moves with them. For the roster how-to that applies to every county jail, see the jail inmate records page.