Reception and Medical Center Overview
The Reception and Medical Center is operated by the Florida Department of Corrections at 7765 S County Road 231 in Lake Butler. Its name describes its job: it receives sentenced prisoners for classification and provides medical custody within the state system. It is not the Union County Jail and does not take in people on fresh local arrests.
The shared Lake Butler address is the main trap for searchers. The county jail sits downtown at 50 NW 1st Street, while the Reception and Medical Center is out on South County Road 231. Different street, different system. New Union County arrests go to the Union County Jail; sentenced prisoners in reception or medical custody are tracked by the state.
Who Is Held at the Reception and Medical Center
The facility holds sentenced Florida prisoners in state custody, including those in reception and classification and those needing medical care. A current official capacity and population figure was not available in the public pages reviewed, so this page does not invent one. The custody type is what matters: state prisoners after conviction, not county pre-trial detainees.
Because medical and reception status can affect movement and visiting, this prison warrants extra caution before any trip. A person can pass through reception here and then transfer to another Florida prison, so the locator may show a different current facility than expected.
The reception role is the key to understanding the place. Many Florida prisoners are first received and classified at a facility like this before being assigned to a permanent prison, and the medical function means some prisoners are here for care rather than long-term housing. Neither of those is a county jail function. A person who was just arrested in Union County will not be processed here; they go to the county jail downtown, and only a sentenced prisoner reaches state reception.
How to Look Up an Inmate at the Reception and Medical Center
Use the Florida Department of Corrections offender search. It is the statewide locator for sentenced prisoners and the right tool for this facility, not the county jail phone line.
- Open the FDC offender search.
- Search by the prisoner's DC number, or by first and last name.
- Open the matching record and confirm the current facility, which may differ after a transfer.
- Read the custody status and any sentence, release, or supervision details shown.
If the locator does not show the person and you believe they were just arrested locally, that is a county jail question, not a state one.
What a Florida DOC Record Shows
A search for someone at the Reception and Medical Center returns a state custody record, not a county booking sheet. It reflects a conviction and a sentence already in place. Reading the fields below ahead of time helps, especially because a person received here may already have moved to a permanent prison by the time you look.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| DC Number | The Florida Department of Corrections offender identifier. |
| Name and Demographics | The prisoner's name and identifiers such as race, sex, and birth date. |
| Current Facility | The current location, which may already differ from the reception center after classification. |
| Custody Status | In custody, released, on supervision, or another state status. |
| Offense and Sentence | Conviction, sentence, and release information where available. |
| Photo | A state offender photo may appear; it is not a county booking mugshot. |
Why This Is Not the County Jail
The custody path makes the difference clear. A Florida case runs from Arrest, to Booking at the county jail, to First Appearance, through county custody while the case is pending, and only after a prison sentence into state reception. The Reception and Medical Center sits at that last stage, where the state takes over, not at the arrest stage.
| Union County Jail | Reception and Medical Center | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Local arrests and short sentences | Sentenced prisoners in reception or medical custody |
| Run By | Union County Sheriff's Office | Florida Department of Corrections |
| How to Search | Call (386) 496-2501 | FDC offender search |
| Address | 50 NW 1st Street, downtown | 7765 S County Road 231 |
Note: Both the jail and this prison are in Lake Butler, so always match the person to the right system rather than to the shared city name.
When the State Locator Is Not the Answer
The FDC search handles state prisoners, but some questions belong elsewhere. Federal custody is found through the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, and immigration detainees appear in the ICE Online Detainee Locator. No federal or immigration facility sits in Union County, so those searches always lead outside it. Victims can monitor a state prisoner's release through Florida VINELink. For the charges behind a conviction, the court records after a jail arrest page covers the clerk and prosecutor channels.
Reception and Medical Center Address and Contact
The facility is reached through its main institutional line, and records run through the state. Confirm any visit, especially given its medical role, before traveling.
Reception and Medical Center
7765 S County Road 231
Lake Butler, FL 32054
(386) 496-6000
Florida Department of Corrections
Visiting Someone at the Reception and Medical Center
Visiting here follows state prison rules, not county jail hours, and medical or reception status can add restrictions. Visitors generally must be approved in advance and must follow statewide dress, conduct, and search rules. The state visiting page is shown below.
Read the FDC visiting information page, then call the facility to confirm the current schedule and any medical-status limits before you travel.
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Get approved | Visitors must be on the approved list before a visit. |
| Call ahead | Medical and reception status can change access, so confirm first. |
| Follow the rules | State dress, conduct, and search rules apply on arrival. |
Mail, Phone, and Money at the Reception and Medical Center
Mail and deposits for a state prisoner here use Department of Corrections procedures, not county jail methods. Do not call the Union County Jail to send money to someone in this facility. Use the FDC contact-an-inmate page for mail rules and the FDC send-funds page for deposits. The state funds page is shown below.
Following the state process avoids sending money or mail to the wrong system, which is easy to do when the jail and the prison share a town.
Reception and Classification
This facility is where many Florida prisoners are received after sentencing, screened, and classified before assignment to a permanent prison. That is different from a county jail booking, which happens right after a street arrest. A Union County defendant who is sentenced to prison may leave the county jail and move into state reception, after which the FDC locator shows the current facility. Because that move can happen quickly and a transfer can follow, the locator is the only reliable way to track where the person is at any given moment.
Common Questions About the Reception and Medical Center
Is this the Union County Jail?
No. The county jail is downtown at 50 NW 1st Street and handles local arrests. The Reception and Medical Center is a state prison on South County Road 231 that receives sentenced prisoners and provides medical custody. They share the city of Lake Butler but are different systems.
How do I look someone up here?
Use the Florida Department of Corrections offender search. Because this is a reception and classification site, the locator may already list a different current facility if the person has been transferred.
Can I visit on short notice?
Plan ahead and call first. Visitors generally must be approved, and medical or reception status can change access. Confirm the current schedule with the facility before traveling.
About the Reception and Medical Center
The Reception and Medical Center is one of two Florida Department of Corrections facilities inside Union County, alongside Union Correctional Institution, and its medical and reception role makes it distinct in the state system. Current program, capacity, and security details are governed by statewide corrections policy and were not fully captured in the sources reviewed here, so this page sticks to the verified address, phone, operator, and locator.
The takeaway holds across every facility in the county: a fresh arrest is a county jail matter, and a sentenced prisoner is a state matter. The Union County inmate population overview shows how the local jail and the two state prisons fit together.
Note: Confirm custody and visiting with the facility before traveling, because reception and medical status can change a prisoner's location and access on short notice.