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Jail Visitation

Detention

Jail Visitation

Polk County Jail inmates at both the Central County Jail and the South County Jail have opportunities to visit with friends and family. Friends and family can schedule an Anywhere video visit – inmates are allowed anywhere visits once per day for 15 minutes each day via the Smart Communications video visitation system. Click here to access the Smart Communications system. 

Video visitation allows the visitor and the inmate to see each other and to communicate, while preserving the safety and the security of the facility by alleviating the concerns of bringing visitors onto the compound. Inmate Visitation is held at the following times every day of the week, including holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, at each of the jail facilities.

Anywhere Visit*

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

**pre-adjudicated youth visits are from 3:00 - 9:00 p.m. only**

Each Anywhere visitation session is $0.17 per minute for 15 minutes per visit.

Video visitation for either jail is by appointment only. Appointments can only be made by visiting www.smartinmate.com.

PLEASE NOTE: All visit creations, changes and/or cancellations require a 24 hour notice in the system, and MUST BE COMPLETED by 6:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled visit. Any changes within the system that do not allow for a 24 hour advance notice once the appointment has been made, shall result in the original appointment being counted as one of the inmates allotted visits for the week due to availability. 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 or 6173, and the South County Jail at 863-635-2642 or 2643.

Video Visitation Conduct and Dress Code

Participation in video-visitation is a privilege, not a right. 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. The Polk County Jail reserves the right to deny, cancel, or terminate a video visit prior to or during a video session based upon visitor or resident inmate misconduct. The Polk County Jail also reserves the right to restrict visitors from participating in all future use of the system. 
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. 

Jail Visitation FAQs

If you wish to schedule a video visit using a desktop computer, laptop, or smart phone, go to the smartinmate.com website. Once you are on the Smart Communications homepage, select “How It Works” at the top-left of the page. Continue by logging in or select the green box that says “Sign Up.” Once your account is created you will be able to add connections and schedule video visitations.

 

The visits cost $0.17 per minute per visit.

Each video visit is limited to 15 minutes each.

Most inmates are allowed video visits every day, including holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Morning visitation begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 10:30 a.m. 

After the inmates eat lunch, visitation begins again at 12:00 p.m. (noon) and ends at 4:00 p.m. 

After the inmates eat dinner, visitation begins again at 5:00 p.m. and the last visit can begin at 9:45 p.m. but must end by 10:00 p.m.

Yes, video visitations will be regularly monitored and may be terminated for rule violations.

The following are considered violations of the video visitation system:

  • Use of a cell phone or another electronic device to participate/join in
  • Driving
  • Showing provocative or pornographic photos, videos, or a visitor dressing or acting provocatively
  • Nudity of any kind
  • If any nudity is displayed, the visitor will be banned from visiting for one month; if there is a second offense, the visitor will be banned for two months; for a third offense, the visitor may be indefinitely banned
  • Displaying any gang signs will also result in termination of the visit

Smart Communications handles all billing – please visit smartinmate.com and select “Contact Us” at the top of the screen, or call 727-349-1561.

Contact South County Jail visitation (Frostproof) at 863-635-6826

Contact Central County Jail visitation (Bartow) at 863-534-6153

Contact Smart Communications at 727-349-1561.

All changes must be made 24 hours in advance, by a PCSO Jail Visitation staff member. 
Depending on where the inmate is located, please call the South County Jail visitation (Frostproof) at 863-635-6826 or the Central County Jail visitation (Bartow) at 863-534-6153 to reach a staff member.

Visits may be scheduled up to 14 days in advance.

You must be 18 years of age to schedule a visit/set up an account with Smart Communications. Depending on the inmate's charges, children can participate in the visit but the account holder must be present during the entire visit. The visit will be terminated if a child is left unattended. 

Jail Professional video hours

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

Appointments can only be made by visiting www.smartinmate.com. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance. If you are unable to make the scheduled appointment, call 863-635-6920 as soon as possible.

Visit smartinmate.com and select "How It Works" at the top-left of the screen to get started on scheduling video visitations. 

Attorneys must adhere to the same visitor dress code seen above.

INMATE MAIL

Inmates do not receive physical mail sent by post. If someone does not have a computer to set up a Smart Communications account, then postal mail may be sent to the address below, and it will be scanned and emailed to the inmate via Smart Communications at no cost to the inmate or person sending the mail: 

Smart Communications - Polk County Jail

ATTENTION TO: [inmate name and ID number]

PO Box 9204

Seminole, Florida 33775-9129 

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, will be scanned into the system and be available to the inmates to view via the Smart Communications system. 

Please call 727-349-1561 with any questions.

LEGAL MAIL 

Legal mail from an inmate’s attorney on record shall be clearly identifiable and marked appropriately as legal mail. All legal mail will be opened in the presence of the inmate and scanned into the inmate’s legal mail account. All legal correspondence shall be mailed to the following address: 2390 Bob Phillips Road, Bartow, FL 33830.

 

BOOK POLICY

Inmates housed in the detention facilities of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office shall be allowed to receive books sent from outside the Detention facility as long as the books meet the criteria stated by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. 

ALL BOOKS COMING INTO THE FACILITY BECOME THE PROPERTY OF THE POLK COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE.

Receiving books is a privilege and therefore any abuse of that privilege may result in its withdrawal.

Books should be sent to:

CENTRAL COUNTY JAIL

inmate name and booking number

2390 Bob Phillips Road, Bartow, FL, 33830

Books sent to inmates must meet the following: 

• Books must be paperback or softcover only
• Books must be sent directly from a third party source such as Amazon.com, Abebooks.com, or another third party bookseller. 
• The parcel must contain within it an invoice or the original packing slip with the business name and contact information. 
• Books may not contain any nudity, sexually-oriented material, racial, or hate content. 
• Books may not contain photographs, pictures, metal in any form, or cloth markers such as ribbon bookmarks. Maps in Bibles are not considered pictures. 

Inmates may possess two (2) paperback/softcover books and one (1) Bible or a recognized holy book of their chosen religion. A total of three (3) books, one of which is their Bible, are allowed per shipment and in the possession of the inmate. 

Should an inmate receive a second parcel of books and the contents place them in possession of more than the specified limit of books per this policy, the books of the inmate’s choice shall be donated to the general inmate library and used for distribution among the inmates confined to the Detention Facility. 

Any parcel received that does not meet the above criteria will be rejected and the intended recipient notified. The inmate may then notify the sender that the parcel may be retrieved from the mailroom at the Central County Jail in Bartow but after fourteen (14) days from the notice of rejection, the contents will be disposed of in a manner to be determined by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.