 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Lowell, Marion County, Florida, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°18′49″N 82°12′05″W / 29.31361°N 82.20139°W |
| Status | Open |
| Security class | Community, Minimum, Medium, Close, Death Row (annex) |
| Capacity | 1,456 / 1,500 (annex) |
| Opened | 1956 |
| Managed by | Florida Department of Corrections |
Lowell Correctional Institution is a women's prison in unincorporated Marion County, Florida,[1][2] north of Ocala, in the unincorporated area of Lowell. A part of the Florida Department of Corrections, it serves as the primary prison for women in the state. Almost 3,000 women are incarcerated in the complex, which includes the Lowell Annex.[3] As of 2015 2,696 women are in the main Lowell CI, making it the largest prison for women in the United States; its prison population became larger than that of the Central California Women's Facility that year.[4]
It opened in April 1956 as the Florida Correctional Institution and was the first Florida prison for women. It houses community, minimum, medium, and close custody inmates. At the time it was opened, Lowell was the only prison that housed solely female offenders in the state.
In 1999, the name was changed to Lowell Correctional Institution/Women's Unit, and in 2000 it was given the latest title of Lowell Correctional Institution. It has a maximum population of 1,456 female inmates ranging anywhere from youth (14–18) to adults (18+). The Annex has a maximum general population of 1,500 and another 150 special housing beds for close management, death row, medical isolation, and confinement. It has consistently been associated with inmate abuse, sexual abuse, inhumane conditions, and little to no intervention from the State of Florida (Miami Herald, 2015, 2017)[which?]The facility is currently under investigation for unsafe conditions with regards to the ongoing pandemic and nearly half of the inmates have tested positive as of September 11 2021 according to the Florida department of corrections (FDC, FDC Responds to COVID-19 at Lowell Correctional Institution). Inmates have taken to social media describing overcrowding, lack of medical care, and severe illness in some inmates.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Marion County, FL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 15-16 (PDF p. 16-17/64). Retrieved 2022-08-13.
Lowell Correctional Instn
- ^ "Lowell Correctional Institution" (Archive). Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on December 13, 2015. "11120 NW Gainesville Rd. Ocala, Florida 34482-1479"
- ^ Miami Herald staff. "Department of Corrections criticizes Miami Herald series on Lowell " (Archive). Miami Herald. December 10, 2015. Retrieved on December 13, 2015.
- ^ "Bartered sex, corruption and cover-ups behind bars in nation’s largest women’s prison." Miami Herald. December 13, 2015. Retrieved on January 26, 2016.