The Florence County Detention Facility is a jail facility in Effingham, South Carolina.  The Florence County Detention Facility is maintained by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and provides jail services for Florence County.  Sheriff Kenney Boone is the head of the Florence County Detention Facility.  It is a 520 bed facility, which is staffed by15 officers in four shifts.  The Florence County Detention Facility holds pre-trial detainees and post-sentencing defendants, as well as some South Carolina state detainees.  The Florence County Detention Facility also operates a work camp, and defendants can be sentenced to time in the work camp.

Inmate property is a concern at the Florence County Detention Facility.  An inmate can release property to people outside of prison by initiating the inmate property release process.  It is highly recommended that inmates who are attending court for sentencing take care of disposition of personal property prior to sentencing, because an inmate sentenced to time in the South Carolina Department of Corrections will be sent with all associated property.  Most of this property will be disposed of when the inmate arrives, and the inmate will not be given an additional opportunity to have someone pick up his or her property.

Florence County is a medium-sized county in South Carolina.  Its county seat is the city of Florence, and it is a mostly-urban county located in the Florence, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.  The Florence County Sheriff’s Office is the largest law enforcement agency in Florence County, but the Florence County jail may hold inmates who were arrested by other local law enforcement agencies, including state and municipal law enforcement agencies operating within or partially within Florence County.

Jail Address:

The address for the Florence County Jail for visitation and mail purposes is:

Florence County Detention Center
6719 Friendfield Rd
Effingham, SC 29541

Mailing Address:

The Florence County Jail’s mailing address is the same as its physical address.  How you address the mail depends on who you are trying to reach.  Mail sent to inmates should have the inmate’s name on the mail, but money for inmate trust accounts should not be sent directly to inmates.  If you have questions about mailing items to the jail, you can contact Maria Barsana at 843-665-2121 ext. 416.

The Florence County Jail’s mailing address is:

Florence County Detention Center
6719 Friendfield Rd
Effingham, SC 29541

Phone Numbers:

The jail’s main number is 843-665-9944.   If you need to reach the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, you can reach the Chief Deputy in charge of Administration, Glenn Kirby, at 843-665-2121 ext. 336.  You can find additional department-specific contact information, including a list of people to contact at the jail, on the Florence County Sheriff Department’s departmental information page: http://www.fcso.org/departments/17-detention-center.

Inmate Mailing Address:

Inmate’s Full Name
C/O Florence County Detention Center
6719 Friendfield Rd
Effingham, SC 29541

Inmates may receive mail through the U.S. Postal Service.  All mail may be opened and checked prior to delivery to an inmate.  All incoming mail must include a complete return address.  Prohibited items are considered contraband and will not be distributed to the inmate.  It may be thrown away, returned to sender, or held for the sender.  Some contraband, such as drugs, may trigger an investigation and could result in prosecution of the sender in addition to institutional disciplinary action against the inmate.  If you have questions about whether items are considered contraband, you can contact the jail directly.  Things that are generally considered contraband include: stickers, stamps, envelopes, paper, pens, pencils, inappropriate pictures or photos (no Polaroids accepted), sexually explicit materials, plastic cards, phone cards, stickers, lipstick marks on envelopes or letters, padded or bubble mailers or glued items. You may include small, appropriate photographs in your mail.  Any pornographic, obscene, or gang photos are prohibited.  There can be no drawing on the correspondence or envelopes; all drawings will be treated as attempts to secretly communicate.  Publishers and bookstores may directly ship reading materials to the inmate, but they cannot be sent in the regular mail.

Inmates may not receive any form of money in the mail, but you can send money orders or cashier’s checks for inmate trust accounts to:

Florence County Detention Center
6719 Friendfield Road
Effingham, SC 29541
Attn: Inmate Accounts

In addition, you may be able to mail some inmates personal property for their use while at the Florence County Jail.  Work camp inmates and state work camp inmates may receive an extensive list of items for use in the mail; you can find a list of those items in the inmate trust account information.

Florence County Bookings:

For both currently-incarcerated inmates and those who have already been released, you can find booking information in the  Florence County Inmate Booking and Release System.  You can search for specific inmates by name, days, or charges, or you can look at a full list of current inmates.  You can get more detailed information on the inmate by selecting an inmate record.  In addition to identifying information like the inmate’s full name, these records contain a mugshot/booking photo, identification number, age, race, sex, eye color, hair color, weight, height, date of admission, time of admission, address, and the charges against the person.  Charges are listed as the charge, the arresting agency, the date of the offense, the bond amount for that offense, and the type of bond permitted.

Who’s in Jail:

Florence County Jail inmates are listed in the Florence County Inmate Booking and Release System.  This system allows you to search current and past inmates by name, charges, days.  You can also choose to search all inmates.  Once you choose an inmate’s record, the record display’s the inmate’s full name, mugshot/booking photo, identification number, age, race, sex, eye color, hair color, weight, height, date of admission, time of admission, address, and the charges against the person.  Charges are listed as the charge, the date of the offense, the bond amount for that offense, the bond type, and the arresting law enforcement agency.  Florence County Jail inmates are also on the VineLink system, and victims can sign up for notifications about an inmate’s status.

Inmate Search:

Florence County Jail past and present inmates can be found in the  Florence County Inmate Booking and Release System.  This allows you to view an entire inmate list or search current and past inmates by name, charges, days.  Individual inmate records show an inmate’s booking photo, along with the full name and identifying information.  The records also include booking information and bond amounts. 

Mugshots:

The Florence County Detention Center has mugshots available on its Florence County Inmate Booking and Release System.  You can search for specific inmate by name, and, once you select that inmate, you can see his or her mugshot/booking photo.  In addition, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office uses the Pee Dee’s Wanted system to distribute information, including mugshots, where available, about people wanted for crimes in Florence County.  You can access the Pee Dee’s Wanted system on the web at: http://peedeeswanted.com/.  It features people wanted on arrest warrants, family court, general sessions, and magistrate bench warrants.  You can also call Pee Dee Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC with any information.

Jail Visitation:

Visitation at the Florence County Detention Center varies according to an inmate’s status, as well as with visitor characteristics.  Personal visitors are also treated differently from professional visitors.  These rules actually differentiate between visitor types in a way that is favorable to inmates and their visitors. Therefore, before planning a visit, please peruse the information for your specific type of visit.  If you have any questions, please call 843-665-9944 ext. 300 prior to your visit.

When inmates are booked into Florence County Detention Center, they are not allowed any visitation prior to a bond hearing. If an inmate does not get bond or cannot make bond, the inmate is then placed into a housing unit.  Once an inmate is placed into a housing unit he or she gets special visitation options; for the first three days of housing, an inmate may have visitation on two of three days. You may call 843-665-9944 ext. 300 to schedule (8:30-4:00 M-F), or schedule online.

If you are a visitor with special needs that may impair your ability to use the regular visitation facilities, such as a physical condition that impairs your ability to walk long distances or climb stairs, then you need to establish yourself as a special needs visitor.  Your physician will need fax documentation outlining your limitations to the visitation fax number at 843-665-9954. After your physician has sent this information, it will be reviewed by the staff at the Florence County Detention Center, to determine what, if any, accommodations they will make for visitation.

If you are a visitor from out-of-state, you can schedule your visitation online.  If you believe you may need special accommodations, you can contact visitation at 843-665-9944 ext. 300.

Ministry or clergy visitors should call 843-665-9944 ext. 300 to schedule your visit, rather than scheduling the visits online.  This is for two reasons: special times may be allotted to you and your visit does not count towards an inmate’s two visits per week. Please bring appropriate identification that identifies you as a member of the clergy.

If the inmate you wish to visit has been classified as being in “protective custody” they cannot receive normal visitation.  Instead, the available visitation time is Mon-Fri 1:20pm-1:50pm and you must call to schedule 843-665-9944 ext. 300.

Inmates who are serving their time in the work camp have special visitation hours, but the visits can be scheduled online.  Visitation hours are:  8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Mon - Sat.

For state inmates being held at the Florence County Detention Center for the South Carolina Department of Corrections, visitation times are: Mon-Fri 6:45pm-7:45pm and Sunday 6:00pm-8:00pm.  Visitation lists, additions, or changes are made at the South Carolina Department of Corrections, and sent to Florence County Detention Center, which cannot modify any state inmate’s approved visitors list.

The Florence County Jail makes all efforts to accommodate reasonable attorney visit requests.  Attorney and staff need to bring identification; paralegals or Investigators need to bring a written request from an attorney on company letterhead along with identification.

General Rules for Visitors:

You need to adhere to a dress code.  You may be denied visitation for: too short dresses; low cut tops; see through clothing; tank and halter tops – spaghetti straps; tube tops – strapless tops; and short shorts.  All visitors must wear shoes, including children who are old enough to walk (even if they are not walking.  The jail will not reveal who is on an inmate’s visitor list or who has visited an inmate. 

Inmate Phone Privileges:

Inmates cannot receive incoming telephone calls. Once an inmate receives his or her housing assignment, he or she can contact family and friends two ways.  The first is by calling collect from phones in the jail; family and friends must be willing to accept the charges.  The second is by setting up a direct bill/ prepaid account for phone calls.  Some inmates may also be permitted to use phone cards to make phone calls.

Inmate Trust Accounts / Commissary / Send Money:

Inmate commissary accounts are a way for inmates to access basic food and hygiene items that are not provided by the Florence County Jail, during the period of their incarceration.  Inmates can receive deposits in a number of ways.  Do not give cash money to any employee to deposit for an inmate.

You can send a money order or cashier check to this address:

Florence County Detention Center
6719 Friendfield Road
Effingham, SC 29541
Attn: Inmate Accounts

This service is free.

You can use a lobby kiosk to deposit funds via cash, credit, or debit. There is a fee associated with this service of $3.75 per transaction. The ATM will take cash, credit, or debit cards. You may access the lobby at any time Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:00pm.

You may go online at  www.jaildeposits.com.  There is a fee associated with this service; by telephone 5.5% of transaction and by computer 4.5% of transaction.

In addition to putting money on inmate commissary accounts, you may be able to mail certain inmates items.

You may mail a work camp inmate: Toothbrush (2), Toothpaste (2), Soap (8), Deodorant (2), Shampoo (2), Hair Grease, Baby Powder, Foot Powder, Hair Clippers, Electric Shavers, Lotion (2), Brush/Comb, Shaving Cream (4) (no metal cans), New Underwear (7) (white only, no briefs nor boxers briefs), Thermal underwear (7) (white or gray), New T-Shirts/Socks (7) (white only, no tank tops), Shower Shoes/Flip Flops (1), Personal Coat to work in (1), Athletic Shoes (1), Work Boots (1) (no steel toes), Optional pair of shoes (1), Writing Tablets (2), Pens/Pencils/Markers, Magazines (4) (No Pornography; from publisher), Newspaper (from publisher), Books (4) (soft cover only from publisher), Legal Documents, Family Photographs 5x7 or smaller, Prescription Glasses/Contacts, and Cigarettes/Lighter/Carton.

State Inmate Workers may also receive: Tweezers, Electric Shavers, Chapstick, Q-Tips, Calendar, Batteries, Facial Cleansers, Disposable Razors, Nail clipper without file, Extra Pair shoes/Boots, Journal, and Phone Cards.

Bail Information:

Not all inmates are eligible for bond, but if an inmate has bondable charges, he or she can bond out.  Bonds exist to guarantee that the defendant arrives for court appearances. The judge considers a number of factors in setting a bond, mainly the seriousness of the offense and the threat a defendant poses to the public. There are several types of bonds available: release on recognizance bonds, pre-trial release, signature bonds, property bonds, professional bonds (also known as surety bonds), and cash bonds.  To find out bond information for an individual inmate, you can check www.fcso.org and view an inmate’s booking information, which will contain charges and bond amounts.  You can contact the booking department at 843-665-9944 ext. 485, 486, and 487.  If you are the victim of a crime and want to receive information on an inmate’s status, you can register at VineLink, www.vinelink.com.

Conclusion

The Florence County Detention Facility is the jail for Florence County, South Carolina.  It holds both pre-trial detainees and convicted offenders, as well as some South Carolina Department of Corrections inmates. The Florence County Detention Facility maintains a very detailed arrestee information center, which has booking data for current and past arrestees.   For any questions or comments about the Florence County Jail, you can contact the jail or the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.