Commissioner Nelson Tours County Jail

Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson joined the West Orange Leadership group on a tour of the Orange County Jail on December 7.

“Visiting all the departments of Orange County Government is critical to understanding their daily operations,” Nelson said. “I need to be an informed elected official in order to make sound decisions on behalf of the citizens I represent,” he said.

Following a PowerPoint presentation and overview of the Corrections Department, the tour visited several areas of the jail including the Command Center, the Booking and Release Center, and the Main Facility. Tour participants were able to see daily activities at the jail and to ask questions of corrections officials.

During the Q & A following the presentation, Nelson commented favorably on the jail’s construction program that helps inmates gain skills to succeed as law-abiding citizens upon release.

The construction program operates in partnership with Valencia College and Goodwill Industries. Valencia College provides tools and equipment, and facilitates the course curriculum. Goodwill Industries provides job placement and follow-up after the inmate is released from jail.

“It’s a different world but the staff and administration look at each inmate as a person, and they obviously take great pride in what they do,” Nelson said.

In 2015, the Orange County Jail had an average daily population of 2,755 inmates. More than 43,000 people were booked into the Orange County Jail last year. Corrections is the County’s largest department—employing more than 1,700 employees of which roughly 1,100 are certified officers. Orange County Corrections is the fifth largest jail in Florida and the 19th largest in the nation.