Wakulla Correctional Institution Overview
Wakulla Correctional Institution is operated by the Florida Department of Corrections at 110 Melaleuca Drive in Crawfordville. It is a state prison for sentenced adult male prisoners, which sets it apart from the Wakulla County Detention Facility that handles pretrial and short-sentence county inmates. The state listing places the institution in Region 1 and marks it with an asterisk, the directory's note for a work camp next to the main prison.
The custody mix at the institution spans several levels. State audit material lists custody and security levels of Community, Minimum, Medium, and Close, with an inmate age range from 19 to 99. Older facility descriptions place the prison on a 468-acre site with a main unit built around dorms A through H and a rear recreation yard. Because this is a sentenced-population prison, people arrive here after a court sentence and a state reception process, not after a street arrest.
Wakulla Correctional Institution Capacity and Population
State oversight reports give the best capacity figures, and they come with a date because prison census changes. A 2018 Florida Correctional Medical Authority survey listed the main unit at a capacity of 1,280 with a census of 1,442 at the time of that report. Those numbers describe the main unit only and should not be merged with the county jail count.
Treat these as a dated snapshot rather than a live count. The Florida Department of Corrections does not publish a current capacity for the institution on its directory page, so the survey figures are the most specific sourced numbers available.
Custody Levels and Housing at Wakulla Correctional Institution
The institution runs across several custody levels rather than a single security tier. State audit material lists Community, Minimum, Medium, and Close custody, which means the prison holds men ranging from lower-supervision work assignments up to higher-control housing. The reported age range of 19 to 99 shows how broad a sentenced adult male population can be.
The physical layout backs that up. Older facility descriptions place the main unit on a large multi-acre site, built around dorms labeled A through H with a rear recreation yard, while the adjacent Annex and work camp round out the complex. Housing assignments inside a state prison turn on classification, the process the Department of Corrections uses to match an inmate's custody level, needs, and risk to a specific unit. Because classification can move a person between units or facilities, the assigned location on the offender search is a current pointer, not a permanent address.
How to Look Up an Inmate at Wakulla Correctional Institution
The correct tool for a sentenced person here is the statewide offender search, not any county channel. The state search lets you look by name or by the Department of Corrections number assigned at intake. The search form and its disclaimer are shown below.
Open the FDC Offender Search and follow these steps.
- Open the state offender search and enter a last name or the DC Number.
- Use the alias box if the person may be listed under another name.
- Open the matching record and confirm the assigned facility.
- Read the offenses, custody status, and projected release date.
The state warns its database covers people sentenced to the Department of Corrections, not county jail inmates, so a person still in county custody before transfer will not appear here yet.
The search itself comes with cautions worth reading. The Department of Corrections says the database is updated regularly but can change quickly, so the current location, status, or release date may not reflect the true situation at any given moment. Name fields match on a begins-with basis, which means a partial last name can pull a long list, and the DC Number is the most precise way to land on one person. Questions about a specific record go to the state's Bureau of Classification and Central Records rather than to the county.
Wakulla Correctional Institution Address and Contact
The institution shares its Melaleuca Drive address with the Annex and the work camp. The main number reaches the prison's front office for general questions.
Wakulla Correctional Institution
110 Melaleuca Drive
Crawfordville, FL 32327-4963
(850) 410-1895
Florida Department of Corrections, Region 1
Visiting Someone at Wakulla Correctional Institution
State prison visitation is not like county jail video visitation. The Department of Corrections generally requires a visitor to be on an approved list and to follow facility scheduling and rules, which differ from the county jail's process. Before planning a trip, confirm the visiting day, approval status, and current requirements with the institution and the state visiting information page. The table marks the schedule as approval-based because the state controls it per facility.
| Visit Type | Schedule | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Social visit | Per FDC facility schedule | Approved visitor list required |
| Legal visit | Arranged with the facility | Confirm rules with the prison |
| Special or video visit | Per FDC policy | Verify availability with FDC |
Note: check the FDC visiting information page and call the institution before traveling, since approval and scheduling can take time.
Mail, Phone, and Money at Wakulla Correctional Institution
Contact methods follow state corrections rules, which are separate from the county jail's Securus mail center and lobby kiosk. Mail, phone accounts, and money deposits for a state prisoner go through the Department of Corrections vendors and procedures, and the correct facility must be confirmed first through the offender search. Always verify the current process with the state before sending anything.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Per FDC mail rules to the institution address | |
| Phone / Video | FDC inmate communication vendor |
| Money Deposit | FDC money-deposit process for state inmates |
Do not apply the county jail's mail or deposit instructions to a person held here, since the two systems use different vendors and addresses. The county jail's Securus mail center in Tampa and its lobby kiosk serve county inmates only, and using those for a state prisoner would send mail and money to the wrong place.
Reception and Intake at Wakulla Correctional Institution
People do not get booked into a state prison off the street. They arrive after a court sentence and a Department of Corrections reception process that assigns a DC Number, a custody level, and a facility. From a Wakulla County case, that means a person first moves through the county jail and the courts, and only later transfers into state custody if sentenced to prison. The institution's nearby Annex is documented as the unit that processes newly received inmates into the Wakulla facilities.
That sequence is why a single arrest can show up in two very different systems over time. Before sentencing, the person and the case live with the county Sheriff and the courts. After a prison sentence and reception, the record moves to the state, and the offender search becomes the way to follow it. The state's central administration sits in Tallahassee, and a sentenced person from Wakulla County who lands at this institution is simply housed close to home rather than handled any differently than other state inmates.
About Wakulla Correctional Institution
The institution anchors a larger state prison complex in Crawfordville that also includes the Annex and a work camp. State audit and oversight documents track its custody levels, age range, and medical capacity, and the prison has been the subject of routine state inspections rather than the county accreditation process used by the jail. Recent state reviews include prison-rape elimination audits and correctional medical surveys, which is where the dated capacity and census figures come from. Once a sentenced person from a Wakulla County arrest transfers here, the county roster channels no longer apply, and the state offender search becomes the place to follow their custody.
Note: Confirm the inmate's current facility through the state offender search before arranging a visit or sending mail or money, since state prisoners can be transferred.