Search Cross City Correctional Institution Inmates

Cross City Correctional Institution Custody Overview

Cross City Correctional Institution is an adult male state prison. The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) operates it. The Florida Department of Corrections is the state agency that holds people sentenced to prison. The institution sits at 568 N.E. 255th Street in Cross City, in Dixie County. It is part of a larger correctional complex on the same road. This is a different system from the county jail, which holds people right after arrest.

The people held here have been convicted and sentenced to a state prison term. They are not pretrial detainees. The facility groups several pieces under one roof. The main institution has a rated capacity of 1,022. The attached Cross City Work Camp has a rated capacity of 280. FDC also lists Cross City East Unit as a satellite unit, and that unit has its own page. The complex does not house youthful inmates or people held only for civil immigration matters, per a 2025 audit.

FDC's profile lists Mitchell "Larry" Keen, Jr. as warden, but a later source showed a different name, so verify the current warden before relying on it. Leadership at a state prison can change between updates. The custody point that does not change is this. Once sentenced, inmates transfer from the Dixie County Jail into FDC custody at facilities like this one.

Cross City Correctional Institution Capacity

Capacity here is published by FDC and split between two parts of the facility. The main institution holds up to 1,022. The Cross City Work Camp, a satellite unit, holds up to 280. These are rated-capacity figures from the FDC facility profile, not live headcounts. A separate 2025 audit listed a planning population of about 1,588 across the broader operation, which shows how the complex runs above the main number when satellite beds are counted. Do not add this prison capacity to any county jail figure. They are separate systems.

How to Look Up an Inmate at Cross City Correctional Institution

State prisoners are searched through the FDC offender locator, not the county roster. The right tool is the FDC Offender Search. It is free and needs no login. You can search by last name, first name, or a six-character DC number. The DC number is the inmate identifier FDC assigns. This database covers felony offenders sentenced to state prison or state supervision. It does not include county jail or county probation. So for someone at this institution, the FDC search is the correct path.

The screenshot below shows the FDC search form and its public-record disclaimer.

You can open the search tool on the FDC Offender Search page.

The FDC facility profile shown above confirms the institution's address, capacity, and program list, and it links the offender search used to find people held there.

1. Open the FDC Offender Search page.
2. Enter the inmate's last name and first name, or the six-character DC number if you have it.
3. Open the matching record and confirm the current facility shows as Cross City Correctional Institution.
4. Review the record for offenses, sentence terms, custody status, and release information.

FDC warns that its data updates often but can change quickly, so a record may not always reflect the true current location. If a name does not appear and the person was recently sentenced, the move from county jail to FDC may still be in progress.

Cross City Correctional Institution Address and Contact

The institution publishes a main phone line, a fax, and a chaplain line. Use the main line for facility questions. Use the chaplain line for emergency or faith-related messages. The mailing address for inmate mail and money follows FDC statewide rules, covered further below, rather than this street address.

To reach Cross City from Tallahassee, FDC directions say turn left off US-19/US-98 at the caution light about one-half mile south of Cross City. Then turn right on NE 165th Avenue and drive about one mile. The institution is on the left. Confirm the route in a live map before driving, since the prison and the county jail share roads in the same area.

Visiting Cross City Correctional Institution

Visiting a state prison takes planning. It is not a walk-up process. FDC requires every visitor age 12 or older to be an approved visitor first. The facility's listed visiting hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Eastern. But you cannot just show up. You must apply, wait for approval, and then schedule a visit each week. The table sums up the schedule and the rules that gate it.

The statewide rules and forms are on the FDC visiting information page. Note one timing trap. If the inmate is still in reception and classification, visitors cannot apply until the person reaches a permanent facility.

The screenshot below shows the FDC visitation approval and scheduling instructions.

Those statewide instructions apply to this institution and to its sibling units, so the same approval and scheduling steps cover the whole complex.

Mail and Money at Cross City Correctional Institution

State prison mail and money use FDC statewide systems, not county jail rules. For money, FDC moved to a provider called Correct Pay on May 1, 2024. People on the inmate's approved list can send funds online, by app, by phone, or by mailed money order. Mailed deposits go to a central Bradenton address, not to the prison itself. For mail, FDC uses statewide processing and strict legal-mail tracking rules. Always check the current FDC contact page before mailing, because these rules differ sharply from the county jail's postcard-only policy.

Admission to Cross City Correctional Institution

This facility does not book people off the street. Admission to a state prison comes after sentencing. A person convicted and sentenced to a state term first goes through FDC reception and classification. That step assesses risk, needs, and the right facility placement. Only after that does the inmate land at a permanent prison such as this one.

So the path is clear. An arrest and booking happen at the county jail. After a conviction and a prison sentence, the person leaves county custody and becomes an FDC inmate. The lookup tool changes at that point too. The county roster no longer applies, and the FDC offender search becomes the way to track location, status, and release. During reception, families also cannot yet apply to visit, which is the most common early surprise.

About Cross City Correctional Institution

Cross City Correctional Institution runs a wide program menu. Academic options include Adult Basic Education and GED classes. Vocational training covers Automotive Collision, Masonry, Carpentry, and Underground Utilities. Polk State College delivers added programs at the site. Many chaplaincy and self-betterment programs run too, along with IN2WORK, a law library, and the SCARS dog program at the Work Camp. These programs aim at reentry and job skills.

A 2025 PREA audit gives a window into conditions. PREA is the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which sets safety standards. The audit reported a planning population of about 1,588 and 200 cameras with 30-day footage retention. It stated the facility does not house youthful inmates or people detained solely on civil-immigration grounds. The audit found no judicial finding of staffing inadequacy.

For the smaller satellite unit at this complex, see the Cross City East Unit page, which uses the same FDC search and visiting rules.