Broward County Detention Center, FL

Broward County Detention Center encourages visits between detained youth and their families. Parents, grandparents, and legal guardians are automatically approved to visit. Anyone else needs a court order or specific approval from the Superintendent or designee. Want to add someone to the approved list or arrange a special visit? Contact the youth's assigned Juvenile Probation Officer first. All visitors must sign in and out. Entry can be denied for disallowed behavior or failing to follow procedures, and disruptive conduct during a visit can end it early—potentially suspending future visitation privileges. Expect electronic searches and pre/post-visit screenings. Personal items aren't allowed in secure areas. Bringing unauthorized items is a third-degree felony.

Complaints and incident reports at Broward County Detention Center go through the Central Communications Center (CCC), which operates seven days a week, including holidays. The CCC accepts reports that fit categories listed under F.A.C. 63F-11: program disruption, escapes/absconds, medical incidents, mental health and substance abuse issues, complaints against staff, and concerning youth behavior. Anyone can call to report an incident or submit a complaint as long as it meets the reportable-incident criteria. When you call, have specifics ready—program name or code, names involved, exact location, date and time, witnesses, any video information, and whether PAR restraint was involved. If your complaint is accepted, you'll get an incident number. Keep it for status checks and follow-up. Anonymous reports are accepted but harder for staff to act on.

Need to report a problem or raise a correctional concern at Broward County Detention Center? Call the CCC hotline at 1-800-355-2280. For paperwork, check the Department's Forms Library—it stores official agency forms and links to related departments' forms and policies. For non-emergency questions like detainee status, booking, or other routine issues, start with the facility's web page or available non-emergency contact lines. If there's an urgent threat to life or public safety, contact local emergency services or use the appropriate state correctional reporting channels. Having trouble with phone accounts, deposits, or commissary billing? Reach out to the vendor customer service listed on the facility's page.

When a youth is taken into custody at Broward County Detention Center, they're entitled to a detention hearing within 24 hours. If the court continues detention, the stay may extend up to 21 days or longer. At intake, staff inventory the youth's belongings—valuables go in the facility safe, and other property stays in locked storage until release. Bringing medication? It's only accepted in the original pharmacy container with a current label that includes all required identifying details. Males and females may be held at the same center but are housed in separate units. The department contracts with a private mental-health provider, and the Designated Mental Health Authority (DMHA) handles screening, assessment, and treatment for detained youth.