Okaloosa County Jail Inmates

Inmates boost economy, cut costs

Of the Okaloosa Correctional Institution’s current 892 inmates, there’s a good chance that members of the north county community have had interaction, perhaps without knowing it, with some of them. Through contract labor work squads of eight men each, carefully screened and vetted, the prisoners work in our communities almost daily.

OCI inmates, for example, constructed the Crestview Police Department’s new headquarters in the Whitehurst Municipal Building. They have performed maintenance and painting projects in area schools, built parks and help maintain county roads.

As state Department of Corrections officials, joined by local civic, law enforcement and business leaders, learned during a recent tour of the prison, inmate labor saved county taxpayers more than $1 million in 2010, including $220,000 in Crestview alone, according to Warden Chris Douglas.

During the same year, the prison pumped more than $2.3 million into the county economy by purchasing supplies and services locally, Douglas said. The prison’s gardens and farm have saved taxpayers $20,150 this year alone by producing food for inmates, including mustard and turnip greens, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and green beans.

“It has a pretty big impact on our operating costs,” Douglas said. “Our goal is to reduce our cost to the taxpayers.”

Interesting as Douglas’ facts and figures were — 619 inmates are in close custody, 210 in medium custody, 55 in minimum custody, and eight in community custody —the opportunities the prison’s labor force offers particularly appealed to cost-conscious local leaders.

Laurel Hill Mayor Joan Smith, county Commissioners Wayne Harris and Don Amunds, Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce President Dino Sinopoli, and Crestview Assistant Public Works Director Carlos Jones, among others, listened attentively to Douglas’ presentation, as did state. Sen. Greg Evers, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller’s district representative, Helen Hunt Rigdon.

Some public officials were already well versed in using inmate labor and spoke favorably of the program.

“They just did a fantastic job at Laurel Hill School,” Smith said. “They’re respectful and amazing. They did a lot of work the county crews can’t get around to, including painting and moving furniture.

Ex-Inmates of the Okaloosa County Jail Wanted (Okaloosa County, FL)

Ex-Inmates of the Okaloosa County Jail Wanted (Okaloosa County, FL)
JailMedia is the leading provider of information about county jails in the US. This information is helpful to those with friends, family members and loved ones behind bars. We provide real information from the people who really know about life in jail - people who have been there.

We are currently looking for ex-inmates of the Okaloosa County Jail to provide us with an interview about the experience. The interview takes about an hour, can be done online or over the phone and allows you to remain completely anonymous. You will be compensated $25 for your time.

If you are interested in participating in this study please respond with the following information: Which jail were you in (if different from the Okaloosa County Jail)? What year were you in this jail most recently? How long were you in the jail at this time? Do you prefer a phone interview or online (the online interview takes longer unless you are a fast typer)?

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