Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility

Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility is a Florida state prison for men located in Panama City, Florida. This is a private facility that has been managed by the GEO Group since 2014. Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility can house a maximum of 985 prisoners of mixed custody levels.

This facility was established in 1995 to house adult male inmates. It consists of an Administration building, enclosed climate controlled gymnasium, industrial building, green house, and program areas. The facility is program oriented and daily work and activities are scheduled on a holistic basis. This allows the inmates an opportunity to receive a balanced program.

Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility provides services, including dental, medical, and psychological services, education, vocational training, and work programs. The work and educational programs are designed to reduce recidivism and include academic and vocational education, vocational planning, substance abuse education, general counseling, life skills, and transition planning.

The facility achieved initial accreditation through the American Correctional Association in 2015 and re-accreditation in 2018 with a score of 100%.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility visiting hours are on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST. Visitor registration begins at 7:15 a.m. and visitor processing stops at 1:00 p.m. You will not be allowed to visit if you arrive after 1:00 pm. 

Before you can visit an inmate at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, you must get on their approved visiting list. The visitor applicationㅡwhich is available in both English and Spanishㅡmust be filled out completely and mailed to the Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility. 

Staff will review your application, and the inmate will notify you of your application status.  If you are not approved, you will not be allowed to visit.

Everyone 12 or older must complete a visitor application, and all visitors 17 or younger must be accompanied by an approved adult on the inmate’s visiting list.

Visit procedures

You must have a valid photo ID to visit an inmate at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility. During visitor registration, officers will also ask you some questions, and you will also go through a number of searches.

First, your property will be searched, and then you will go through a metal detector and a Magneto Static Detector (which detects cell phones and other electronic devices). The next step is a pat search from an officer; finally, there is a barrier search conducted by a canine handler. 

You are not allowed to visit with an inmate until you have cleared all of these steps.

What you can bring to a visit

You are allowed to bring the following items into the visiting room at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility:

• A maximum of $50.00 ($1, $5, $10, and $20 denominations only or silver change) for the vending machines. You are allowed to carry the money in a small wallet or pouch.
• One car key. No key chains or keyless entry devices.
• Medication. Bring only the necessary dosage in the original prescribed container (it must be clearly marked).

If you are bringing an infant into the visit, you may have the following items:

• A maximum of five diapers
• Three, clear, plastic, baby bottles or two sipper cups for toddlers
• One, clear, plastic, baby pacifier
• Three, clear, plastic jars of baby food with the original seal intact 
• Baby wipes or towelettes (in a clear plastic bag) 
• An infant baby carrier (subject to search)
• One set of infant clothing
• One, non-quilted baby blanket to keep the infant warm

Do not attempt to bring a cell phone or any other electronic device to the visiting room.

Dress Code

The following clothing items are prohibited in the Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility visiting room:

• Halter tops or bra-less attire
• Underwear-type t-shirts or tank tops
• Fishnet clothing
• Skin tight clothing
• Shoes with removable parts
• See-through fabric without an undergarment
• Dresses, skirts, or shorts more than three inches above the knee
• Clothing with a threatening picture or language
• Camouflage
• Any clothing with metal

Video Visitation

Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility also has the option of video visitation, which is a service available through JPay. You must have a JPay account and use their calendar function to schedule a video visit.

The fee for video visitation is $2.95 for 15 minutes, and they can last a maximum of 30 minutes.

The general guidelines for inmate mail are:

• Letters can be a maximum of 15 pages in length (You cannot glue, tape, or staple anything to the pages)
• Greeting cards, but nothing with electronic or non-paper parts
• Pictures, with the exception of nude photographs, Polaroids, or anything larger than 8”x10”
• A maximum of ten, blank, greeting cards, blank pieces of paper, or envelopes
• A maximum of twenty, first class stamps

The following packaging is not allowed:

• Boxes
• Padded envelopes
• Plastic bags
• Multi-layer packaging
• Envelopes that include metal parts
• Card stock type envelopes (U.S. Mail Priority or U.S. Mail Express card board type) 
• Bubble wrap
• Packing peanuts

Non-paper items and stickers are prohibited in inmate mail.

You can send an inmate email through JPay. They do not have internet access, but inmates can receive an email printout during mail call. 

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, but they do have access to phones during approved hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Florida, please click here.

How to Send Money

The only way to send money to an inmate at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility is via Access Corrections. You can use their website, or call 1.866.345.1884 to reach one of the 24/7 Access Corrections domestic call centers. The agents provide exceptional support, and the bilingual representatives accommodate the diversity of all callers.

Programs For Inmates

Academic Programs

• Adult Basic Education
• General Educational Development (GED)
• Volunteer Literacy Program

Vocational Programs

• Landscape Management
• Technology Support Services
• Welding Technologies

Substance Abuse Programs

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Intensive Outpatient
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Substance Abuse Prevention/Education

Institutional Betterment Programs

• Anger Management
• Compass 100
• Continuum of Care Re-Entry Program
• Fresh Start
• Gavel Club
• Law Library Program
• Library Program
• Life Skills
• Parenting
• Stress Management
• Thinking for a Change
• Veteran's Support Services
• Recreation/Canine Programs
• Self-Paced and Organized Recreational Activities

Pictures of Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility

Careers at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility

If you are interested in a job at Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, click here. Career opportunities at GEO Group include: Life Skills Workers, Security Supervisors, Correctional Officers, Food Services Professionals, Mental Health Technicians, and Facility Administrators.

The benefits package includes:

• Paid time off
• Dental and Vision
• Medical PPO with Prescription Drug coverage
• Short and Long term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid holiday
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) Retirement Plan