Polk County Central Jail

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in Polk County, click here, call the Automated Information System (AIS) at any time by dialing 863-457-3738, call a center representative at 863-292-3400, or use VINE (see below). 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 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 Polk County Central Jail.

Bonding someone out of the Polk County Central Jail

If an inmate has bondable charges, he or she can bond out at any time. A bond can be paid with or without a bail bond agent. The method (cash/surety) and amount of money needed for bonding someone out of the Polk County Central Jail depends on their charges. Most crimes, but not all crimes, are bondable offenses.

When you pay a cash bond, it is refunded to you when all court appearances have been made and the case is discharged, dismissed, or a not guilty verdict rendered. If the arrestee fails to appear or is found guilty, the money will be forfeited. When you use a Bail Bondsman for a surety bond, you will not get a refund.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Video visitation for the Polk County Central Jail is done remotely and by appointment only. Appointments can only be made by visiting www.securustech.net.

Anywhere Visits

Friends and family can schedule an Anywhere video visit via the Securus video visitation system. Inmates are allowed anywhere video visits twice per week for 20 minutes each day. Each Anywhere visitation session is $10.00 for 20 minutes

Anywhere Visit Schedule

• 7:30 am to 10:30 am
• 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
• 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Please note that pre-adjudicated youth visits are from 3:00 - 9:00 p.m only.

All visit creations, changes and/or cancellations require a 24 hour notice. Once the visit has been scheduled, please call the facility to make changes to the existing visit. You can reach the Central County Jail at 863-534-6153/6173.

Visiting Rules

Both visitor and inmate are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate fashion at all times during a video visit. Visitors are required to wear appropriate clothing—no nudity is allowed. 

Any misconduct that is immoral or affects the order and operation of this program will result in revocation of visitation privileges. If applicable, criminal charges may be filed against the offender.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office uses, “Smart Jail Mail,” via kiosks in all housing units for inmates to use to send and receive written communications with friends and loved ones. It is free to set up an account, and each message costs 50 cents to send and each photo costs $1. Inmates do not receive physical mail sent by post.

Family members and friends can deposit money into an inmate’s account so they have service credits to send and receive messages and receive photos. Indigent inmates are allowed to send two free messages every Saturday.

To set up the Smart Jail Mail account, please visit: www.smartjailmail.com. 

The inmate’s Name and ID number must be clearly printed on the outside of the envelope or postcard to ensure the mail is posted to the correct account. All inmate postal mail, with the exception of legal mail, is scanned into the system and available to the inmates to view via the inmate Smart Jail Mail kiosks.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the Polk County Central Jail cannot receive incoming phone calls, however, they have access to phones and can make outgoing calls from the inmate housing area daily. Phone calls are recorded and may be monitored at any time. 

Family and friends must visit the Securus website to set up a phone account. There are three payment options to choose from:

• ADVANCE CONNECT is a prepaid calling account and the most widely used payment option—it allows family members and friends the ability to control spending and ensures calls are received.
• The DIRECT BILL allows family members and friends to have the call charges billed monthly. A credit check is required to qualify.
• A TRADITIONAL collect account allows family members and friends to receive collect calls and have the charges included on your monthly phone bill (cell or landline).

Please contact Securus with any questions at 877-578-3658.

How to Send Money

When an inmate is booked into the Polk County Central Jail, any money found on the arrestee will be deposited into their inmate account. Funds in the account will FIRST BE APPLIED TO ANY OUTSTANDING DEBT. 

***fees vary based on services rendered

Once the debt is satisfied, the inmate can use remaining funds for commissary purchases, medical and dental care, transportation costs, and any monetary sanctions for damaging county property. There are multiple ways a loved one can deposit money into an inmate's account.

Anyone may deposit funds into an inmate’s individual account via online transfer, kiosk, phone, or money order. You must have the following information to make a deposit:

• State where inmate is located—Florida

• Agency—Polk County Detention Facilities, FL

• Recipient ID—Inmate ID, or Last Name, First Name

Online

The Access Corrections website is available for deposits 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Deposits can be made using a debit card or credit card. Access Corrections charges a handling fee based on the amount deposited:

Kiosk

Kiosks are available for deposits utilizing cash, debit card, or credit card at two separate locations. 

• Central County Jail (Annex) – Kiosk available 24 hours daily inside the front lobby at 2390 Bob Phillips Road in Bartow, FL, 33830.
• South County Jail (Frostproof) – Kiosk available 7:00 am to 10:30 pm daily inside the front lobby at 1103 US Hwy 98 West in Frostproof, FL, 33843.

Access Corrections charges a kiosk handling fee of $4.95, regardless of the amount deposited.

Phone

Deposits can be made by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling Access Corrections at 866-345-1884. Follow the prompts to fund the account.

Access Corrections charges a handling fee for phone deposits based on the deposit amount.

Money Order

Money orders must be mailed. The jail does not accept in-person money order deposits or personal checks. Please note there will be a seven-day hold placed on money orders over $100.00.

• Make money order payable to the inmate and include inmate ID.
• Send a money order to: Sheriff’s Operation Center – Attention Inmate Accounts:
• INMATE NAME & INMATE ID; 1891 Jim Keene Blvd; Winter Haven, FL, 33880.

Care Packages

To send your inmate a care package, visit the MyCarePack website and create an account before placing your order. MyCarePack accepts VISA, Mastercard and Discover credit/debit cards.

If the inmate owes debt, it will not allow you to process a MyCarePack order. The debt will need to be paid first and then the restriction will be lifted.

Any questions, please contact Inmate Accounts at (863) 298-6528 during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Programs For Inmates

This information is not publicly available.

Pictures of Polk County Central Jail

Careers at Polk County Central Jail

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

Polk County is currently offering a sponsored dual academy (law enforcement and detention certifications) for qualified applicants. They cover the tuition and pay a monthly stipend (approximately eight months) and hire you upon completion of the academy. They are also sponsoring the four-month detention-only academy.

Applicants for law enforcement and detention positions who are already Florida-certified are eligible for reimbursement of their academy tuition if they are your first law enforcement employer.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office is currently offering sign-on bonuses for all newly hired sworn (law enforcement) or certified (detention) deputies. They ALSO pay a $1,000 moving allowance for those who move to Polk. 

There is also an education incentive program. If you already have a college degree, you'll be paid a college incentive bonus every year. And if you don't have one yet, Polk County will pay for that too with college reimbursement pay. 

Basic Qualifications:

• Must be 19 years of age or older (18 for Civilian Positions) 
• Obtain passing score on all sections of the Test of Adult Basic Education Test (may be waived for current Florida certified applicants and those with a four-year college degree, and civilians with at least 60 college credit hours)
• Have a good police record
• Possess a valid Florida Driver's License and have an acceptable driving record
• Be a United States Citizen. (detention deputy and deputy sheriff applicants)
• Not have tried, used or experimented with any type of illegal drugs within the past two years, nor any hard drugs within the past five years