How Do I Find, Visit, or Get Someone Out of a
Miami-Dade Jail?
When someone is arrested in Miami-Dade, families have a few hours to learn where the person is and what happens next. This guide covers where people are held, how to find them, how bond and release work, and how visits, calls, and mail work.
Reviewed by Andre A. Rouviere. Last reviewed: October 2026
The First 24 Hours Come Fast
After an arrest in Miami-Dade, a person is transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK) for processing, and the County says booking can take several hours. The first appearance before a judge happens within 24 hours of arrest, and that hearing is where bond is addressed.
A lawyer can be involved before that hearing. The first consultation is free and confidential. If time is short, call first and read the rest of this guide afterward. The TGK Information Desk at 786-263-5550 can help with a person's location, bond information, and visiting information.
Everything below about the jails comes from Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation (MDCR). Its policies change, so confirm details with MDCR before traveling or sending money. MDCR also publishes its own page, What Happens After an Arrest.
Numbers to Know
Each number comes from Miami-Dade County's own pages, except our office line.
What Andre Tells Families First
Andre A. Rouviere has been a Miami trial attorney since 1989. Here is how he approaches the first 24 hours after an arrest.
The First Three Questions
When a family calls, Andre starts with three questions: What is the person charged with? What county was the arrest in? When was the person arrested?
The Most Common Mistake
The most common mistake is not calling a lawyer. Early contact lets a lawyer start gathering the information to present at the first hearing.
Before the First Hearing
Gather all of the information to present at the first hearing. A full picture can improve the chances of a better result.
What Helps With Bond
No prior record, knowledge of the circumstances, a strong showing of family support, and job security all help.
Be Ready to Post Bond
Be in contact with a bondsman in advance and have collateral identified if it is needed, or have the cash ready to bond out at the jail.
Domestic Violence Arrests
A person arrested for domestic violence cannot be released until seeing a judge, and bond is not set by the standard schedule.
When a scared family member calls in the middle of the night, Andre says: “Tell me how I can help you.”
Miami-Dade's Jail Facilities
MDCR runs the county jails. It is responsible for between 4,000 and 4,200 people who are awaiting trial or serving sentences of 364 days or less.
Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center
Intake, processing, and release
- Address: 7000 NW 41 Street, Miami, FL 33166
- Facility phone: 786-263-5341
- Information Desk (location, bond, visiting): 786-263-5550
- Booking steps: identity check, fingerprints and photographs, medical and mental health screening, property inventory, charges entered, housing decided
- Booking can take several hours
For how bail amounts get set and how bond works, see our Bail and Bond Guide.
Pre-Trial Detention Center and Metro-West Detention Center
Two more Miami-Dade County detention facilities
- Pre-Trial Detention Center: 1321 NW 13 Street, Miami, FL 33125, phone 786-263-4110
- Metro-West Detention Center: 13850 NW 41 Street, Miami, FL 33178, phone 786-263-5110
The County lists every facility on its Contact Corrections page. See the South Florida Courthouse Directory for the courts that hear Miami-Dade cases.
MDCR Headquarters and Inmate Information
General questions and visitation help
- Address: 3505 NW 107 Avenue, Doral, FL 33178
- General and inmate information: 786-263-7000
- Inmate Visitation: 786-263-4119
How to Find a Person in Custody
Start with the County's online search.
Use the County's In-Custody Search
Enter the last name followed by the first initial or first name. Results show the person's location, charges, bond amount, jail number, booking date and time, and photo. Open the County search.
Call the TGK Information Desk
The TGK Information Desk, 786-263-5550, helps with a person's location, bond information, and visiting information. MDCR headquarters, 786-263-7000, also takes inmate information calls.
Write Down the Jail Number
The jail number and booking date appear in the search results. The County asks anyone posting bond to confirm the person's full name and jail number first, so write both down.
What to Have Ready
A lawyer can start faster with a few details. Gather what you can, and call even if some of it is missing.
The Person's Details
The full name as the County lists it, the date of birth, and the jail number and booking date from the in-custody search.
What the Search Shows
The charges, the bond amount, and the facility where the person is held. Bond information may not be available right after arrest, while booking is still in progress, so note what is missing.
Where and By Whom
Which agency made the arrest, where it happened, and whether the person is held in Miami-Dade, Broward, or a federal facility. Add any court date or paperwork the person received.
If the Person Is Not in an MDCR Jail
Miami-Dade Corrections runs the county jails. Broward arrests, federal arrests, and arrests of minors lead elsewhere.
Broward County
Run by the Broward Sheriff's Office
- Main Jail Bureau: 555 SE 1st Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Open the Broward Sheriff arrest search. Cases from a Fort Lauderdale arrest are covered on our Fort Lauderdale criminal defense page.
Federal Custody
Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Address: 33 NE 4th Street, Miami, FL 33132
Open the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator or read the Bureau of Prisons page for FDC Miami. See our Federal Crimes page.
Arrested Minors
Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department
- Address: 275 NW 2nd Street, 2nd Floor, Miami, FL 33128
- Phone: 305-755-6200
- A Civil Citation Program lets some young people avoid an arrest, and diversion programs can serve as an alternative to formal court involvement
Open the Juvenile Services contact page. See our Juvenile Defense page.
Bond and Release
What happens next depends on bond, pretrial release, or a court order, and it takes time even after the paperwork is done.
Posting Bond
If the charges are bondable, bond can be posted at any time. A cash bond is paid in full, in person, through Touch-Pay at the facility. A surety bond is posted by a licensed bail bond agent for a fee, and the state's Licensee Search lists certified agents. The County cannot recommend a bondsman. Confirm the full name, jail number, bond amount, and eligibility for release first.
Other Ways Out
Courts can release a person on their own recognizance, the jail can release on a promise to appear, and police can issue street citation releases. Pretrial Services releases some people free of charge before trial. At the first appearance, a judge addresses bond and release conditions.
Timing and Location
Release depends on finishing booking, court processing, payment processing, and release scheduling, and it can take several hours even after bond is posted. The County lists TGK release hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. People are released in front of TGK near the Inmate Release Area sign.
Domestic Violence Arrests
A hold applies before release
- The court holds bond calendars at 11:00 a.m. daily and determines custody status and release conditions
- A defendant may post a bond, be released to Pretrial Services, or be released into a GPS monitoring program
- The court imposes a Stay Away order that prohibits direct or indirect contact with the victim
- Hearing locations can change temporarily, so check the court announcements for the current location
See how these cases work on our Domestic Violence Criminal Defense page, and check the Eleventh Judicial Circuit court announcements.
Visits, Calls, Mail, and Property
How families stay in touch, and what to know before sending money or picking up belongings. The rules come from the County's Inmate Contact and Visitation page and Remote Video Visitation Rules.
Video Visits
Remote video visitation is the County's standard service
- The person in custody is responsible for adding each visitor to the Approved Master Visitation List
- Create a GTL account and allow up to 24 hours for processing
- Visits can be scheduled up to 7 days in advance, and a visit cannot be booked for the day it is requested
- A visit starts and ends automatically, and visits are not extended or rescheduled for login problems
- Questions about the process: Inmate Visitation, 786-263-4119
- Recording or photographing a visit is prohibited, and every visitor on the call must be registered
Phone Calls and Messages
The person in custody places the calls
- People in custody cannot receive calls
- Families set up a prepaid collect calling service online, and the person in custody calls out using the deposited funds
- The phone provider can send a text alert when the balance runs low, and a person who receives unwanted calls contacts the provider to block them
- Electronic messages, photos, and VideoGrams sent to an incarcerated person are subject to monitoring and review by MDCR
Sent by the United States Postal Service
- Send it by the United States Postal Service, the sole carrier accepted, with a return address that includes your full name
- Use plain white, lined paper
- Not allowed: greeting cards, postcards, books, magazines, newspaper clippings, colored paper, and colored envelopes
- Not allowed inside the envelope: stamps, pens, and Polaroids
Money, Commissary, and Property
Deposits, commissary, and belongings
- Deposits and commissary purchases each have a County page: Inmate Trust Account Deposits and Inmate Commissary Items
- Property Room hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- After 30 days property is stored offsite, and pickup is arranged at 786-263-5355
- Property left unclaimed for 30 days or more after release is scheduled for destruction under County Implementing Order 7-20
More detail is on the County's Inmate Release page.
What to Avoid Doing
The first days move fast, and these are the mistakes that cost families time.
Do not discuss the case on jail calls, messages, or video visits
Anything said or written from jail can be heard or read by others. Details of the case belong with a lawyer.
Do not wait for the first appearance to call a lawyer
That hearing happens within 24 hours of arrest, and it is where bond is addressed. A lawyer who is involved beforehand can prepare for it.
Do not count on a quick visit
A video visit cannot be booked for the day it is requested. Visitors register first, which can take up to 24 hours, and visits are scheduled up to 7 days in advance.
Do not record or photograph a video visit
Recording and photography are prohibited during visits. A violation can cancel the visit and cost both the visitor and the person in custody their visitation privileges.
Do not mail cards, Polaroids, or colored paper
Mail must be plain white, lined paper sent by the United States Postal Service. Greeting cards, postcards, and enclosures such as stamps, pens, and Polaroids are not allowed.
Do not leave belongings unclaimed after release
Property left unclaimed for 30 days or more after release is scheduled for destruction under County Implementing Order 7-20.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does a person go after an arrest in Miami-Dade?
Should an arrested person talk about the case?
How do I find out if someone is in a Miami-Dade jail?
What if the person was arrested in Broward County or by a federal agency?
What if the person arrested is under 18?
How do I post bond in Miami-Dade?
What helps a judge set a lower bond in Miami-Dade?
How long does release take after bond is posted?
Why is someone arrested for domestic violence still in jail after bond is posted?
Can I visit someone in a Miami-Dade jail?
Can I call someone in a Miami-Dade jail?
How do I send mail to someone in a Miami-Dade jail?
How do I get a person's belongings back from the jail?
Can a lawyer visit someone in a Miami-Dade jail?
What should I have ready when I call a lawyer?
Keep Reading
What to Do If You Are Arrested in Miami-Dade
The booking process and the first hours of a case, from the arrested person's side.
Read the guide →Miami-Dade Bail and Bond Guide
How bail amounts get set in the first 24 hours and what the options are for getting someone out.
Read the guide →First Appearance Hearings in Miami-Dade
What the first hearing covers and why the first 24 hours matter.
Read the guide →Criminal Case Timeline
What happens after an arrest, stage by stage, from first appearance through resolution.
Read the guide →South Florida Courthouse Directory
Addresses and details for the Miami-Dade, Broward, and federal courts.
Read the guide →Criminal Defense
Felony, misdemeanor, DUI, and federal criminal defense throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County.
Learn more →Direct attorney access at (305) 774-7000
A call today can start the process before the first appearance. Initial consultations are free and confidential, with no obligation to retain.
What Our Clients Say
Verified Google reviews from clients represented by the firm across Miami-Dade and South Florida. See our full client testimonials page for more.
