Gulf Correctional Institution

Gulf Correctional Institution is a Florida state prison for men that is located in Wewahitchka, Florida. This facility opened in 1992 and can house up to 1,568 inmates of various security levels.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

If you would like to visit an inmate at Gulf Correctional Institution, you must first be approved by the Florida Department of Corrections. Talk with your inmate (by phone or mail) and tell them that you want to be on their approved visiting list. They will have to contact their case worker who will send you a visitor applicationㅡwhich is available in both English and Spanish.

When you receive your application in the mail, fill it out completely and send it back to Gulf Correctional Institution. Everyone 12 or older must complete this form in order to visit an inmate. 

Visiting hours at Gulf Correctional Institution are on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m. and visitors will not be processed after 1:00 p.m. 

If a visitor is 17 or younger, they must be accompanied by an approved adult on the inmate’s visiting list.

Visit procedures

When you arrive for a visit at Gulf Correctional Institution, be prepared to answer a series of questions from the officers and go through a number of searches. 

Registration will start with officers asking you about contraband, and then your property will be searched before you go through a metal detector and a Magneto Static Detector (which detects cell phones). After that, you must go through a pat search, and the last step is a barrier search that is conducted by a canine handler. 

Do not attempt to bring contraband into Gulf CI. If you are caught with items like cell phones, tobacco, weapons, or drugs, you could be arrested.

After you have cleared all of these steps, you will be allowed to visit an inmate at Gulf Correctional Institution.

What you can bring to a visit

The only items you are allowed to bring into the visiting room at Gulf Correctional Institution are money and a car key.

• Each visitor can bring up to $50.00 ($1, $5, $10, and $20 denominations only or silver change) for the vending machines, and you can carry the money in a small wallet or pouch.

Only one car key is allowed, no key chains or keyless entry devices.

If you need medication during your visit, you are allowed to bring in the necessary dosage. However, it must be in the original prescribed container and clearly marked. 

If you have a medical condition which requires injections, you can leave the visiting room and take care of that in your vehicle, but you can’t bring in any needles or syringes into the visiting room. You will be pat searched again before you can return to the visit.

You are allowed to bring the following items if you have an infant:

• 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

Dress Code

The dress code in the visiting room at Gulf Correctional Institution is extremely conservative. If you wear any of the following items you will not be allowed to visit.

• 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

The inmate’s committed name, DC number, and institutional address must be on all inmate mail.  All inmate correspondence must go through the US Postal Service (no UPS or FEDEX). 

You are allowed to send the following items to an inmate:

• Letters no longer than 15 pages (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

Mail in boxes, padded envelopes, plastic bags, multi-layer packaging, envelopes that include metal parts, or card stock type envelopes (U.S. Mail Priority or U.S. Mail Express card board type) is not allowed. Also, any package that has bubble wrap or packing peanuts will be rejected.

Do not send non-paper items or put stickers on the envelope or correspondence. 

There is also an email option available through JPay. 

The Gulf Correctional Institution also has JP5 tablets available for purchase so your inmate can send and receive monitored emails (for a fee), and they can also purchase music, eBooks, and games.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at Gulf Correctional Institution, but they do have access to phones and can make calls to approved numbers during daytime hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Florida, please click here.

How to Send Money

The options for sending money to an inmate at Gulf Correctional Institution are JPay and MoneyGram. With JPay, you can send money via their website, with their app, on the phone, or by mail. For MoneyGram, you will have to visit a location in person.

JPay Options

• Online or Mobile App: To send an inmate 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 orderㅡmade payable to JPayㅡwith 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.

Moneygram

If you would like to use cash, visit a MoneyGram location (including all Walmarts and CVS Pharmacies) and use receive code 5188.

Programs For Inmates

Academic Programs

• Access
• Adult Basic Education
• Choices
• General Educational Development (GED)
• Ready To Work
• Volunteer Literacy

Vocational Programs

• HVAC

Substance Abuse Programs

• Celebrate Recovery
• Substance Abuse Prevention/Education
• The Most Excellent Way

Chaplaincy Services

• Anger Resolution
• Basic Life principles
• Bondage to Freedom
• Chapel Library Program
• Faith-based alternative transitional program
• Laubach Literacy
• Prison Fellowship biannual
• Religious education
• Storybook Program
• Straight From the Heart – personal development
• Transition Housing Assistance
• Worship services

Institutional Betterment Programs

• Active and Passive Sports
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Anger Management
• Business Seminar
• Character Qualities
• Financial Freedom
• Inside/Out Dads
• Law Library Program
• Library Program
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Parenting
• Thinking for a Change
• Victim Impact Awareness
• D.A.W.G.S. (Available at Gulf Forestry)

Pictures of Gulf Correctional Institution

Careers at Gulf Correctional Institution

If you are interested in a job at Gulf Correctional Institution, click here. The Florida Department of Corrections is the third largest prison system in the country, so there are many opportunities available in a number of different areas. You will receive a $1,000 hiring bonus if you land a job at Gulf CI.