Charlotte Correctional Institution

Charlotte Correctional Institution is a level VI Florida state prison for men located in Punta Gorda, Florida. It has a maximum capacity of 1,291 inmates, and it houses all custody levels, from minimum to maximum security.

There have been a number of inmate deaths at Charlotte Correctional Institution since it opened in 1989, and many have happened in recent years. In 2014, guards beat inmate Matthew Walker to death, which led a grand jury to deliver a, “blistering and graphic rebuke,” to the Florida Department of Corrections.

In 2015, inmate Robert Peterkin was found dead, but FDC officials refused to explain what happened to Peterkin’s family. Just two months after Peterkin’s death, inmate Quonta Howard was found dead.

In May of 2019, an employee at Charlotte Correctional Institution was caught with nine cell phones, two sim cards, batteries, and power cords in her underwear when she set off a metal detector. She was subsequently arrested for attempting to bring in contraband to a correctional institution.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

If you would like to visit an inmate at Charlotte Correctional Institution, the inmate must request that you be added to his visiting list, and you must be approved by the Florida Department of Corrections.  You will be sent a visitor applicationㅡwhich is available in both English and Spanishㅡand you must fill it out completely before sending it in. 

Anyone who is 12 or older must complete this form if they wish to visit an inmate.

Visiting hours at Charlotte are on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. and visitors will not be processed after 2:00 p.m. 

The visiting park is also open on holidays, including New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday (the third Monday in January), Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

An approved adult on an inmate’s visiting list must accompany any minor visitor 17 years of age or younger.

Visit procedures

Before entering the visiting park at the Charlotte Correctional Institution, you will be subject to questioning and numerous searches. First, the officers will ask you about contraband, and then you will have your property searched before going through a metal detector and a Magneto Static Detector. After that, you will be subject to a pat search before finishing up with a barrier search that is conducted by a canine handler. 

Do not bring in contraband! If you attempt to bring in items like cell phones, tobacco, weapons, or drugs, you could be arrested.

Once you have cleared all of these steps, you will be allowed to enter the visiting park. 

What you can bring to a visit

You can bring up to $50.00 (in $1.00, $5.00, $10.00, and $20.00 denominations only or silver change) for the vending machines, and you are allowed to bring a small wallet or pouch to hold your money.

The only other item allowed is one car key. To avoid any problems, take the car key off of your keychain because you can’t bring in any other keys or a keyless entry device.

If you need medication during your visit, only bring the necessary dosage. All medicine must be in the original prescribed container and must be clearly marked. If you have a medical condition, such as diabetes, which requires injections, you can leave the visiting park and take the necessary medications, but you can’t bring in any needles or syringes.

The following items are allowed if you are bringing an infant to the visit:

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, and baby wipes or towelettes (in a clear plastic bag). Also, you may bring in an infant baby carrier (subject to search), one set of infant clothing, and one non-quilted baby blanket to keep the infant warm.

Dress Code

When you visit an inmate at Charlotte Correctional Institution, please dress modestly. If you wear any of the following items you will not get in:

• 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

Any mail you send to an inmate must be sent through the US postal service. If you use couriers or delivery services, it will be refused. Also, include the inmate’s committed name, DC number, and institutional address on all correspondence. A maximum of 15 pages is allowed for each letter, but do not glue, tape, or staple anything to the pages.

You can also send greeting cards, but they can’t have any electronic or non-paper parts. Pictures are permitted in inmate mail, but you can’t send nude photographs, Polaroids, or anything larger than 8”x10.” 

The Charlotte Correctional Institution also allows you to send an inmate up to ten blank greeting cards, stationery, blank paper, or envelopes. You can also send up to twenty first class stamps.

Inmates are not allowed to receive mail in boxes, padded envelopes, plastic bags, multi-layer packaging,envelopes that include metal parts, any package containing bubble wrap or packing peanuts, or card stock type envelopes (i.e. U.S. Mail Priority or U.S. Mail Express card board type).

The following items are not allowed in mail addressed to an inmate:

• Non-paper items
• Items of a non-communicative nature such as lottery tickets or matchbooks
• Stickers or stamps (other than postage stamps, postal service attachments, and address labels affixed to the outside of the envelope)
• Address labels (other than those affixed to the outside of the mailing envelope)
• Laminated cards or other laminated materials.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates incarcerated at Charlotte Correctional Institution can’t receive incoming calls, however they do have access to phones during certain hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Florida, please click here.

How to Send Money

To send money to an inmate at Charlotte Correctional Institution, you must use JPay or visit a MoneyGram location.

• Online or Mobile App: To send money with your credit or debit card, visit JPay.com or download the JPay Mobile App that is available at the Apple App Store (for iPhones) and Google Play (for Android phones).
• By phone: Call (800) 574-5729 to talk with a live JPay call center agent and send money with a debit or credit card. 
• Mail a money order -  made payable to JPay - with a deposit slip to:

JPay
P.O. Box 260010
Hollywood, FL 33026

Money order deposit slip available in English here.

Hoja de Depósito para Giros Bancarios disponible en Español aqui.

• Visit a MoneyGram location (including all Walmarts and CVS Pharmacies) and use receive code 5188. This method allows you to use cash.

Programs For Inmates

Academic Programs

• Adult Basic Education
• General Educational Development
• Mandatory Literacy
• Special Education Services
• Title 1 Services
• Volunteer Literacy Program

Vocational Programs

• Masonry
• Environmental/Janitorial Services

Chaplaincy Services

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Anger Tool Box
• Authentic Man
• Catholic Bible Study
• Catholic Confessions
• Catholic Mass
• Catholic Novena
• Catholic RCIA
• Catalyst Program
• Christian Class
• Christian Connection Inside
• Conquer Series
• Creer (Spanish Class)
• Faith Bible Study
• FIT-Family Integrity Training
• FREE
• Free to Grow
• Hebrew Israelite Service
• Hebrew Israelite Study
• Insight Group
• Jehovah’s Witness
• Kairos Reunion
• Kairos Weekly Prayer & Share
• Latter Day Saints
• Lifepath Program
• McGregor Baptist
• Meditation Class
• Messianic Jewish Shabbat
• Messianic Torah Study
• Miami International Seminary
• Muslim Jumauh Prayer
• Muslim Taleem Service
• Orthodox Jewish Shabbat
• Orthodox Jewish Studies
• Outreach Ministries
• Reformed Theology
• Restoring Broken People
• Rock Of Ages
• Seventh Day Adventist
• Spanish Protestant Service
• The Truth Project
• True Spirituality
• Veterans Program
• Veterans Dorm
• Westminster Class

Institutional Betterment Programs

• 100-hour Transition Program
• Anger Management
• Flat Panel Monitor Repair
• Fresh Start Smoking Cessation
• Law Library Program
• Library Program
• Life Path Group
• Pre-Release Counseling
• Restoring Broken People
• Rethinking Personal Choices
• Self Management Skills for Re-Entry
• Family Reading Program
• Thinking for Change
• Wellness Education

Re-Entry Programs

• Career Scope Assessment
• Career Pathways
• Florida CHOICES Career Planner
• Thinking For a Change
• Rethinking Personal Choices
• Wellness Education
• Library Services

Pictures of Charlotte Correctional Institution

Careers at Charlotte Correctional Institution

The Department of Corrections is the largest agency in the state of Florida, as well as the third largest prison system in the country. There are many positions available in the FDC, so if you are interested in a career at Charlotte Correctional Institution, click here.