Montgomery Correctional Center - Prison Services

Prison Services

Montgomery Correctional Center's services include various sections, known by the titles: Classification Unit, Maintenance Unit, Prison Industries, Food Service, Laundry and Sanitation.

Classification Unit: This group is responsible for assigning inmates to work crews throughout the Jacksonville community. The work crews have worked and assisted the city with the Streets and Highways, Parks and Recreation, Jacksonville Electric Authority, and Park Maintenance. They also provide classification inmates for on-campus work crews such as the Agriculture Unit, Nursery, Metal Fabrication Shop, Machinery Repair Shop, Bedding Repair, Silk Screening and Shoe Repair Shops.

Maintenance Unit: This unit utilizes skilled prisoners to maintain the facility's physical plant. They have performed construction and repaired multitudes of projects such as remodeling areas in the North and South Units' administrative buildings which accommodate the non-contact visitation center.

Prison Industry Unit: This group consists of a mattress/sewing factory, a shoe repair factory, and a silk-screening factory. The Mattress Factory repairs and recovers mattresses, pillows, blankets, prisoner clothing, and the mending for the Mounted Patrol and K-9 Units. The Shoe Repair Factory repairs and reconditions prisoner footwear which is to be redistributed to incoming sentenced prisoners. The Silk Screen Factory provides silk screening for prisoner clothing. Their primary responsibility is to print the Department of Corrections insignia on all prisoner garments used within the Department.

Food Service Unit: This unit is operated through a contracted food service and annually provides approximately 700,000 meals, at an approximate cost of $750,000.00.

Prisoner Laundry Service: This group is responsible for over 10,000 loads of laundry every year.

Medical Services: This section is contracted through a medical provider, which provides all aspects of the medical services for the prisoners at Montgomery Correctional Center, including mental health and dental services. Nursing staff is on site, around-the-clock, for any medical emergencies, and a physician's assistant is available five days a week. The physician is on site two times a week. There is always an "on-call" physician available at all times. Sick call is available seven days a week and chronic care conditions are managed on-site, however, any special off-site referrals are taken to the city's hospital, Shands of Jacksonville.

Corrections Commissary Service: This group is contracted to operate the prisoner's commissary. They are responsible for handling all aspects of the commissary services for the prisoners. The program functions in a cost-effective manner, providing the prisoners with essential health and comfort items.

Chaplain Service: This section of the Montgomery Correctional Center handles the delivery of emergency messages, religious concerns, personal issues, and family problems of the prisoners. They also coordinate worship services and the hours of volunteers.

Agriculture Unit: This group contributes greatly to our community and saves the taxpayers of our community in excess of $150,000 annually by such projects as: mechanic's crew, landscape and nursery crew, and the metal shop crew.

Agriculture Mechanic's Crew: This crew is responsible for doing (A), (B), and some (C) service inspections and minor repairs on the 30-plus city vehicles which are assigned to Montgomery Correctional Center. They are also responsible for the repairs and maintenance on 100 pieces of lawn and small-engine equipment which is also assigned to Montgomery Correctional Center.

Landscape and Nursery Crew: This crew is responsible for the daily pick-up and compacting of trash from the various areas of the center. They also are in charge of mowing 20 acres (81,000 m2) and the lawn conditioning and trimming, and take care of removal of trees, clearing fence lines and ditches on the remaining 800 acres (3.2 km²). The Land and Nursery Crew also assists with the clean up and landscaping for the Police and Fire Pension Fund Office and the Help Center. They have also planted trees for the Florida Community College at Jacksonville North Campus and assisted with landscape duties for the Criminal Justice Training Center. The Crew has also been responsible for planting, maintaining and harvesting a 2-acre (8,100 m2) vegetable garden which produces approximately 15,000 pounds (6800 kg) of fresh vegetables which are donated to nonprofit organization, including homeless centers, children's centers and senior citizen centers. The unit also maintains a green house that cultivates office plants, small shrubbery and border grass from cuttings and seeds which benefits the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, other city and county agencies and nonprofit organizations. This unit has received awards from Jax Pride and other similar agencies for their outstanding work in support of the City.

Metal Shop Crew: This crew is responsible for designing and manufacturing equipment for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and other city and county agencies. They have built and installed doors, windows, wrought iron fences and gates, and a number of other metal items for government end-users. They have constructed dog kennels and dog boxes, and modified vehicles to meet the needs of the Sheriff's K-9 units.