Address:
2020 Main St.
Sarasota, FL 34237
Phone:
941-861-4165
Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Sarasota County Jail in Sarasota, Florida, contact visits of any type may be suspended. Even if they have visits, from time to time, face masks may be required.
Approved Non-contact visits with family, friends and the inmate’s lawyers may still be allowed when at-home or onsite video visitation is not available, however given that new guidelines are changing daily please check the visitation page or call 941-861-4165 for updates.
At-home and onsite video visitation guidelines for Sarasota County Jail, when this service is available, can be found by going to the visitation information page.
We highly recommend that you call 941-861-4165 first for any changes due to staff shortages or other unforeseen circumstances, including whether your inmate has become ill and is unable to be in the general population where video kiosks are available.
Experts in the study of the COVID-19 are anticipating that spread of the virus will be a ongoing concern for Sarasota County, the state of Florida and the entire United States until well into 2024 and maybe even beyond. We are witnessing the virus becoming more contagious, but less deadly over time. Many people think that the 'more contagious, but less deadly' variants will infect so many people that a higher level of natural immunity for the majority of Americans will be the end result.
Whether the inmates are safe from contracting the coronavirus depends entirely on two things:
At this stage most people who get the coronavirus show very few symptoms beyond what you might experience with a bad cold or a mild case of the common flu. Newer variants are turning out to be less deadly than the common flu we experience every year.
Studies that have been done are showing that the hardest hit are those 60 years of age and older, those with pre-existing medical issues like diabetes, leukemia or obese individuals. Young men and women rarely become very ill, and when they do, seem to recover quickly.
Given the close proximity of inmates and staff to each other in this lockup, it is going to be very difficult to prevent the spread of COVID-19 once it is introduced into the facility as the virus can spread via the microscopic vapor that we release every time we speak, cough or sneeze.
We will continuously update this page as the virus changes and new policies are instituted.
Because Sarasota County and Florida can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Sarasota County Jail at 941-861-4165, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, and do this right after an arrestee has been booked.
Ask the staff at the Sarasota County Jail or the Sarasota County Court Clerk these specific questions:
If you feel the bail is too high and you wish to get it reduced, contact a lawyer or the defendant's public defender and get them to look into what they can do to get a bail reduction. The sooner you get working on this the quicker you will get your loved one released.
This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.
Postcards
The Sarasota County Jail allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature.
Envelopes
The Sarasota County Jail also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates.
Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID Number
Smart Communications - SCCF
PO Box 700
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
Legal Mail
Send all legal Mail to this Address:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID Number
Sarasota County Correctional Facility
2020 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34237
Newspapers
Local or national newspapers may also be mailed to the inmate as long as they are mailed directly from the newspaper publisher.
Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.
Books
The Sarasota County Jail allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address below.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Sarasota County Jail standards will be disposed of. No more than three books may be shipped at any one time.
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.
All newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID Number
Sarasota County Correctional Facility
2020 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34237
Follow these instructions to schedule and then visit an inmate using GTL.
For all the information you need to know regarding scheduling, cost, rules, tips and guidelines of inmate visits at the Sarasota County Jail, check out our Visit Inmate Page.
Follow these instructions on how to open an account with GTL Connect Network (aka Viapath Technologies)
For full instructions on the Sarasota County Jail Inmate Phone System, what the costs are, how it works, and tips and guidelines on rules, regulations and saving money on calls, check out our Inmate Phones Page.
To find out how to get access to a tablet for inmate read the following:
1. First, Register or Sign In to GettingOut/GTL
2. Purchase the services you want for your Sarasota County Jail inmate.
3. All inmates have free access to the tablets to read their letters from family & friends, but there are many other services available to keep your inmate busy while incarcerated... such as Games, Books, Music and Movies. These other services come with fees that you can pay for when you pay for phone service.
To learn more about Tablet Rentals for inmates, including the cost, all the services available and everything else you need to know, check out our Tablet Rental Page.
To communicate by text or email with an Sarasota County inmate, follow these instructions:
For all the information you need to send and receive secure messages in the form of text or email with a Sarasota County Jail inmate, including how it works, how much it costs, renting your inmate a tablet, how often you can communicate and more, check out our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
NOTE: Your messages will be monitored and stored. You may want to refrain from discussing your inmate's court case.
To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Sarasota County Jail follow these steps:
For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Sarasota County Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Sarasota County.
To send commissary money to an inmate in Sarasota County Jail follow these steps:
For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for Sarasota County Jail.
