The MDCR is the seventh-largest county jail system in the United States as of 2012,[1] with approximately 2,906 employees.
Miami-Dade Corrections Officers are easily identified by their white shirts with green trousers with gray stripe.
In 1956 the City of Miami occupied a new headquarters and jail and they leased the Stockade to the Public Safety Department.
In 1957, a metropolitan form of government was established, and the Dade County Sheriffs' Office was subsequently renamed the Public Safety Department.
The Public Safety Department's organizational structure, as determined by the Metropolitan Charter, included responsibility for police, including the main jail and stockade, fire protection, civil defense, animal control, and motor vehicle inspection.
In 1960 the first Chief of Dade County Jail is appointed Captain Noah Scott will command 4 lieutenants, 9 Sergeants, and 98 officers.
On March 25, 1961, a criminal justice complex opens with a 10-story jail situated between and attached to, the Public Safety Department Headquarters, and the Court House.
In January 1977, all municipal courts were abolished, turning over responsibility to the Dade County Criminal Justice System.
In 1988 two more temporary fiber cement structures were built on the parking lot of Metro West Detention Center.
In 1989 a 9-story high rise was built with 1,000 cells, and was named the Turner, Guilford, Knight Correctional Center.
In 1991, all original structures at Metro West Detention Center were torn down when a new 1,002-bed facility was opened on the Northern half of the property.
In 1996, $14 million was expended on water and sewer pipe lines and connections to a future site for new facilities.
The location of this site is one mile (1.6 km) West of Krome Avenue, with an entrance on Tamiami Trail.
This is called a substance fee and it ranges from $2 – $5 per day, and also includes a one-time $10.00 charge for a uniform that is issued in the classification process.