Manatee County Jail

Manatee County Jail basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 941-747-3011

The Manatee County Jail is a medium-security detention center located at 14470 Harlee Rd Palmetto, FL which is operated locally by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and holds inmates awaiting trial or sentencing or both. Most of the sentenced inmates are here for less than two years. Manatee County accepts inmates from surrounding towns, municipalities, the US Marshal's Service and the Palmetto Police Department who do not have their own long-term lock-up.

Individuals who have been placed under arrest are first transported to the Central Jail, which is located at the Main Jail at 14470 Harlee Road, Palmetto Upon arrival, they must complete the following steps:

• Property Intake
• Medical Screening
• Fingerprinting
• Photographing
• Warrants Check

While the staff at the Central Jail is dedicated to ensuring the prompt processing and release of eligible arrestees, the amount of time required to complete this process may be affected by the volume of arrestees being processed simultaneously and/or the availability of information from state and national databases.

The Commissary offers snack foods, writing paper, stamps, envelopes, socks, underwear, T-shirts, bras, toiletries, and playing cards. Each Housing Unit may purchase Commissary once a week.

The Medical Unit provides 24-hour health care for inmates. Emergency dental care is available. Prescription medicines are provided, as required. Inmates will be charged a fee for requested medical services. There is a co-pay for prescription medication.

Religious Services are offered by various denominations on a regular schedule. There is a Chaplain available for counseling, on request.

Educational Programs for inmates include high school diploma courses, sewing, culinary arts, diesel mechanics, horticulture, meat processing, auto body, and welding. There is counseling for substance abuse, including AA and NA meetings.

Library Service is provided to each Housing Unit with a wide variety of books.

Newspapers are available to inmates and newspaper and magazine subscriptions may be purchased for inmates.

Exercise Yard is available in each Housing Unit.

Television is only available for special programs such as educational or religious themes.

MONEY FOR INMATES

• Inmates are not permitted to keep cash, credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, checks, or any other form of exchange or money while in the facility. Upon intake, their cash and valuables are inventoried and secured by the Property Unit until the inmate is released.
• By mail: Purchase a money order in any denomination and make it out to “MCSO Inmate Account,” write the inmate’s name and booking number on the memo line at the bottom left, keep the copy, and mail the original with no other correspondence to:

For Deposit Only

Manatee County Central Jail
14470 Harlee Road
Palmetto FL 34221

• By Internet: Go to https://www.smartdeposit.com/ and use a credit or debit card with a VISA or MasterCard logo; use the facility PLC# 5500. Transactions for this PLC cannot be canceled after completion. NO REFUNDS ALLOWED. RESIDENT BOOKING #: DO NOT ENTER DASHES OR OTHER SEPARATORS IN THIS FIELD. If you do not have the booking number, check our webpage ( www.manateesheriff.com ) under Arrest Inquiry or call 941-723-5132.
• By phone: Call 1-866-394-0490 Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
• By Cash Kiosk: go to the Visitation Center located at 2705 County Line Road, Palmetto FL 34221 between 7:45 AM and 7:30 PM. The kiosk accepts credit cards and cash in increments of $5 and above (no $1 bills). The inmate’s booking number is required.

Inmate Phone Service

Once an inmate receives his or her housing assignment, he or she can contact family and friends by calling collect from phones in the jail. Family and friends must be willing to accept the charges.

Inmates cannot receive incoming telephone calls and MCSO employees are not permitted to deliver personal messages to inmates.

MSO is working with Advance Pay Services to provide services that help inmates stay in touch with friends and family. Their goal is

"...To increase the ways an inmate can stay in touch with their friends and family members using affordable calling options that are approved by the correctional facilities."

Mail Guidelines

(Inmate’s Full Name)/Booking Number
Manatee County Central Jail
14470 Harlee Road
Palmetto, FL 34221

- Inmates are only allowed to receive POSTCARDS from family/friends. Letters are NOT acceptable.
- Postcards are to be at least 3.5 inches by 4.25 inches BUT NO LARGER THAN 4.25 inches by 6 inches.
- Postcards are to be TYPED or written in BLACK or BLUE INK ONLY.
- Photos are allowed but must be addressed and stamped individually and must follow the same rules as regular postcards

UNACCEPTABLE postcards will be returned to sender; types of unacceptable postcards include but are not limited to:

- Defaced or altered postcards.
- Plastic or wrappings on postcards.
- Postcards marked with paint, magic markers, or crayons.
- Postcards with stickers or labels (including address labels).
- Postcards with watermarks or stained in any manner.
- Postcards with any biohazards, including lipsticks and perfumes.
- Postcards depicting nudity, weapons, or gang references.
- Oversized Postcards.

The Commissary offers snack foods, writing paper, stamps, envelopes, socks, underwear, T-shirts, bras, toiletries, and playing cards. Each Housing Unit may purchase Commissary once a week.

The Medical Unit provides 24-hour health care for inmates. Emergency dental care is available. Prescription medicines are provided, as required. Inmates will be charged a fee for requested medical services. There is a co-pay for prescription medication.

Religious Services are offered by various denominations on a regular schedule. There is a Chaplain available for counseling, on request.

Educational Programs for inmates include high school diploma courses, sewing, culinary arts, diesel mechanics, horticulture, meat processing, auto body, and welding. There is counseling for substance abuse, including AA and NA meetings.

Library Service is provided to each Housing Unit with a wide variety of books.

Newspapers are available to inmates and newspaper and magazine subscriptions may be purchased for inmates.

Exercise Yard is available in each Housing Unit.

Television is only available for special programs such as educational or religious themes.

Tabletop games are available to inmates during their free time.

Inmates are allowed to receive the following items without prior written approval;

1. Magazines (subscriptions or individual), books including puzzle books are permitted (no more than 2 each month, can be 1 of each, journals are not an allowed item) as long as they are mailed directly from the publisher's authorized distributor or a retailer such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com or similar retailers. Your family cannot mail them to you. If the item(s) does not come from an authorized source it will be returned to sender. Books and magazines can be no larger than 8.5 inches by 14 inches in size.
2. Newspaper subscription (1 only) must be sent from newspaper office directly to the facility.
3. Weekly magazine subscriptions are permitted and will be treated like a newspaper subscription.
4. No other item(s) will be accepted by the Mail Room unless approved by the Bureau Chief or designee PRIOR to the delivery of the said item(s). Unapproved items will be returned to sender.

Publications may be rejected based on content only if it is determined to be detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the institution or if it might facilitate criminal activity. A publication may not be rejected solely because its content is religious, philosophical, political, social or sexual, or because its content is unpopular or repugnant.
Publications which may be rejected include but are not limited to publications which meet one of the following criteria:

1. It depicts or describes procedures for the construction or use of weapons, ammunition, bombs or incendiary
   devices.
2. It depicts, encourages, or describes methods of escape from correctional facilities, or contains blueprints,
   drawings or similar descriptions of Bureaus of Prison institutions.
3. It depicts or describes procedures for the brewing of alcoholic beverages or the manufacture of drugs.
4. It is written in code.
5. It depicts describes or encourages activities which may lead to the use of physical violence or group
   disruption.
6. It encourages or instructs in the commission of criminal activity.
7. It is sexually explicit material which by its nature or content poses a threat to the security, good order, or
   the discipline at the institution, or facilitates criminal activity.

MONEY ORDERS will be accepted through the mail. The envelope MUST be addressed to:

Manatee County Central Jail
14470 Harlee Road
Palmetto, Florida 34221
"FOR DEPOSIT ONLY"
Inmates Name/Booking Number

Money Orders must be made out to "MCSO Inmate Account" on the "Pay To" line, otherwise, it will be returned to sender.
Personal notes/letters addressed to inmates that are sent with money orders will be disposed of and not sent to the
inmate or returned to the sender.

Inmates will still be permitted to mail out sealed envelopes, HOWEVER, the envelope must contain the inmate's full
name and booking number, cell/pod number and complete facility mailing address. The envelope cannot have any
drawings, writings, graffiti or additional marks on the outside except for the name and address of the recipient. If the
envelope does not conform to this rule it will not be picked up or mailed out.

Outgoing inmate mail may be opened, examined, censored and/or rejected by jail staff pursuant to jail policy and procedures.

*** NOTE *** All inmate mail(outgoing and incoming) is subject to the following U.S. Postal Guidelines found in the U.S. Postal Service Operations Manual.