Intake and Release Process
Individuals who have been placed under arrest are first transported to the Central
Jail, which is located at the Main Jail at 14470 Harlee Road, Palmetto. Upon arrival,
they must complete the following steps:
- Property Intake
- Medical Screening
- Fingerprinting
- Photographing
- Warrants Check
While the staff at the Central Jail is dedicated to ensuring the prompt processing
and release of eligible arrestees, the amount of time required to complete this
process may be affected by the volume of arrestees being processed simultaneously
and/or the availability of information from state and national databases.
First Appearance
All arrestees who do not bond out of jail will routinely appear before a judge within
24 hours after arrest. The judge will inform the arrestee of the charge(s) and,
if appropriate, will set a bond amount.
In misdemeanor cases, the judge may accept a guilty plea and release the arrestee
on his own recognizance or time served. In felony cases, the judge may raise or
lower the bond. The judge may order the inmate screened to be released on Supervised
ROR. This process takes longer for the inmate to be released due to the screening
process.
Booking receives the results from first appearance around 11:30 A.M. each day from
the Clerk of Courts. If you are calling for bond information on a newly arrested
person, please wait until the results are received.
Release of Inmate Property
Inmate property can be released to family or friends after an inmate completes a
property release form specifying the intended recipient. Property may only be released
when the property form has been signed by the inmate. A government-issued photo
ID is required to receive the property. The Property release request usually takes
48 hours to process.
Inmate Telephone Service
Once an inmate receives his or her housing assignment, he or she can contact family
and friends by calling collect from phones in the jail. Family and friends must
be willing to accept the charges.
Inmates cannot receive incoming telephone calls and MCSO employees are not permitted to deliver personal messages to inmates.