Broward County Main Jail

The Broward County Main Jail Bureau is located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It is operated by the Broward County Sheriff's Department and houses adult men and male juveniles who have been arrested by local county or municipal law enforcement. The inmates are pre-trial and/or sentenced to the jail or Department of Corrections.

The Main Jail Bureau is one of five jail facilities in Broward County. The others are the Joseph V. Conte Facility, the North Broward Bureau, the Central Intake Bureau, and the Paul Rein Facility.

The Main Jail is an eight-story maximum security facility adjacent to the Broward County Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Built in 1985, it was originally designed to house 864 local and state inmates. In the early 1990s, the capacity was expanded to 1,538 inmates.

The Main Jail Bureau is an all-male facility, and most inmates are awaiting trial or sentencing, or are serving terms of less than one year. These inmates are considered escape risks, violent or dangerous, or by the nature of their charges require maximum security housing. 

This facility also includes an average of 65 juveniles awaiting trial in adult courts, but they are housed separately from adult inmates.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held at the Broward County Main Jail Bureau, click here, call the jail at (954) 831-5900, or use VINE. Be prepared to provide the inmate’s full name and date of birth when using the VINE website.

Florida VINE

The Florida VINE system is a service through which victims of crime can search for information regarding the custody status of their offender, and to register to receive phone calls and e-mail notifications when the offender’s custody status changes. 

This service is provided to assist Victims of Crime who have a right to know about their offender's custody status. Click this link to register.

Inmates being held for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC), or charges from other counties will not be found by going to the VINE Link above. You will have to call the jail.

How To Bond Someone Out

Information about an arrestee's charge(s) and bond is available online through an Arrest Search.You can also call (954) 831-5900 or visit the information window, which is open 24-hours-a-day, located in the lobby of the Main Jail.

A CASH BOND can be posted through any of the following methods:

• Go to the Cash Bonds window at the Main Jail
• In person at a Western Union Agent location or by calling 1-800-634-3422 or online at www.westernunion.com using the Blue Quick Collect Send Form:Pay to: Sheriff of Broward CountyCode City / State: COPS/FLAccount Number: Enter the Arrest/CIS number and Inmate Last/First Name.
• Via credit or debit card using the following options:
  • Online at www.GovPayNow.comMake sure to have the inmate's information ready before proceeding to www.GovPayNow.com. This information is available through our Arrest Inquiry Database on the Sheriff's Office website.
  • The defendant's name
  • The defendant's Arrest/CIS number
  • The Date of Birth (Optional)
• A service fee will apply.
• By phone at 1-877-EZBAIL5 (1-877-392-2455)A service fee will apply.

You can also post a SURETY BOND through a licensed surety bond agent. A bondsman will charge a percentage of the bond as a fee.  For more information about bonds in Broward County, click here.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

In-person inmate visitation is no longer available at any of the Broward County jail facilities, including the Main Jail Bureau. All visits are conducted off-site at the Video Visitation Center or remotely by using your Smartphone. 

To sign up and schedule an appointment, please visit the Video Visitation Center at 3700 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Lauderdale Lakes, Florida 33311 or go to www.videovisitanywhere.com.

All visits must be scheduled 24 hours in advance, and all visitors must register online. Go to www.videovisitanywhere.com for rules, schedule times and availability.

Video Visitation Center schedule start times for the Main Jail are 7:45 am to 1:45 pm and 3:45 pm to 9:45 pm, “seven days a week.

The Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Detention has a postcard-only incoming mail system. This means that envelopes and personal letters are not allowed to be mailed in for inmates. 

All routine incoming mail must be in the form of an acceptable pre-stamped postcard. Any mail not meeting acceptable criteria will be returned.

Acceptable postcard forms: Postcards must be pre-stamped and at least 3 ½ x 5 inches. The maximum size allowed is 4 ¼ x 6 inches. Writing must be in blue or black ink.

Unacceptable postcard forms: 

• Defaced or altered cards
• Plastic or wrappings on the cards
• Postcards marked with paint, crayons, watermarks, or stains; postcards with any biohazards to include lipstick or perfumes
• Postcards depicting nudity; explicit images of sexual activity, suggestive content, weapons, coded messages, or gang references; money, labels, or stickers attached to the postcard
• Images or the likeness of the recipient inmate or other inmate(s)
• Oversized postcards: fold over multi-layered postcards; and imprinted holograms onto postcards.

All photos mailed in must be printed on the actual postcards. Photos attached (glued, stapled, paper clipped, etc.) to a postcard in any way will not be accepted.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the Broward County Jail cannot receive incoming phone calls, however, they have access to phones and can make outgoing calls from the inmate housing area. 

How to Send Money

Family and Friends can make deposits to an inmate's account at the Main Jail by using the lobby kiosks at any of the four locations listed below. These deposits must be Cash only.

Lobby hours for deposits are 7:15 am – 10:00 pm

Main Jail
555 SE 1st Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

Paul Rein Detention Facility
2421 NW 16th Street
Pompano Beach, FL 33069

The Joseph V. Conte Facility
1351 NW 27th Avenue
Pompano Beach, FL 33069

North Broward Bureau
1550 NW 30th Avenue
Pompano Beach, FL 33069

All of these locations have ATM machines that Family and Friends can utilize to get Cash to deposit into the Lobby Kiosks.

Western Union

Family and Friends can use Western Union to send deposits Online. Western Union accepts Credit Cards, and you can get started by clicking here.

Western Union Quick Collect at www.westernunion.com.

• Click on Bill Pay and choose Correctional Facility Options
• Choose: BROWARD SHERIFF CASH BONDS OR BROWARD SHERIFF INMATE BANK

Cash payments can be made at a participating Western Union Agent location or you can pay using a credit or debit card by calling 1-800-634-3422 or online at www.westernunion.com.

For each Commissary Quick Collect transaction the following information must be provided:

• Pay to: Sheriff of Broward County
• Code city & state: CANTEEN, FL
• Account number: Inmate's name and arrest number
• Attention: Inmate's name, date of birth and purpose: commissary

Money Orders
You can mail a money order directly to the jail using the following address:

Broward County Main Jail
Inmate First and Last Name, Inmate ID #
PO Box 9356
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33310

Care Packages

Care Packs may be purchased with cash through kiosks located in the jail facility lobbies. Care Pack purchases are restricted to one per week.

Programs For Inmates

Inmates are permitted to watch television and are provided with reading material. They are also allowed to take part in outdoor recreation and use exercise equipment.

A variety of programs and services are available to inmates, including:

• Adult Basic Education
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
• Cocaine Anonymous
• GED Preparation & Testing
• Juvenile Programs
• Library Services
• Life Skills Program
• Medical Services
• Mental Health Counseling
• Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
• Pre-Release Planning
• Religious Services & Counseling
• Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Training
• Substance Abuse Program
• Veterans Group

Pictures of Broward County Main Jail

Careers at Broward County Main Jail

If you are interested in a career with the Broward County Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at the Broward County Main Jail, click here.