Central Booking
The Sumter County Detention Center provides inmate processing for all Law Enforcement agencies operating within Sumter County. The care, custody and control of individuals arrested in Sumter County by the Sheriff's Office and various state and local police agencies is the responsibility of the Detention Center. Upon intake inmates are processed to include being searched photographed fingerprinted and entered into the Inmate Management System. Central Booking also responsible for the release process of an inmate upon their release from the Detention Center.
The Sumter County Detention Center houses individuals who have been arrested and held without bond, been unable to post bail set by the courts, are being transferred from other states or counties while awaiting trial in Sumter County, or those found guilty and sentenced to serve less than one year in county jail.
The Detention Center has 521 beds and receives approximately 4,600 inmates at booking each year. Both male and female inmates are housed at the Detention Center.
- 2019 Inmate Handbook
Upon intake into the facility an inmate can expect to encounter several elements of the booking process to include: The Property / Cashier Unit:
Inmate property is collected and inventoried with the inmate present. The property the inmate enters the facility is placed in the property room to await return upon release. Any cash the inmate has is deposited by the inmate into a kiosk which is then placed on the inmate’s account.
Medical Screen:
An inmate can expect to see a nurse within a brief period of their time after initial intake. The medical unit is comprised of Doctors, RN's and LPN's with the workforce being staffed by Wellpath staff. They provide medical, dental, and mental health services to inmates incarcerated in the Detention Center pursuant to requirements of the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commissions, and Florida Model Jail Standards. Inmates' health concerns are addressed daily and followed by appropriate triage and treatment by qualified health professionals.
Classification:
The classification unit is responsible for the initial classification and housing of all new inmates entering the facility. Criminal histories and current charges for incarceration are obtained. An initial interview is conducted, and information is gathered concerning residency, employment, probation status and safety concerns of both inmate and staff. Classification personnel determine the inmates' eligibility for trustee status, lock down needs and risk factors. Classification personnel also reclassify inmates when changes occur with new or dropped charges, court sentences, behavior, protection needs or the entering of the trustee program, or at prescribed times for reclassification.
This unit also processes the court paperwork on all inmates in custody. A Classification Deputy ensures that all county sentences are calculated and recorded in the JMS computer. All trustee gain time earned is then compiled and entered into JMS by the deputy.
All records of arrest are also kept by classification to ensure that every inmate detained in Sumter County has some document indicating the reasons and legal authorization for incarceration and that all records are kept secure and confidential.
Reentry:
An initial reentry assessment will be conducted on all new inmates to determine their individual needs and assist the reentry clerk is establishing a plan of action to target the causative factors of incarceration and being to make plans for the inmate’s release and reentry into society. At this time efforts are made to screen for the Sumter County drug and veterans court. Efforts are also made to get all necessary and relevant resource opportunities to combat issues such as homelessness, lack of healthcare, and lack of access to transportation. The reentry clerk is a member of the classification unit.
When the time arrives for an inmate’s release the inmate can expect to encounter processes such as:
- Property and cash will be returned to the inmate. The inmate will inventory their items and sign to ensure they have received all their property and cash.
- Wants and warrants checks will be conducted on all inmates to ensure that they have no pending legal issues that would require their continued incarnation.
- If an inmate is leaving due to a paid bond the inmate will sign the bond and be advised to follow up with the clerk of the court for their next court date.
- If an inmate is leaving due to a court decision or being time served the inmate will be giving copies of their court paperwork. If the inmate was convicted of a felony, they will be advised of the requirements to restore their voting rights.
