Intake and Release

Course Description

CJK0320 – Intake and Release is a Postsecondary Adult Vocational (PSAV) clock-hour course delivered as a core module within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training Program. The course addresses the substantial intake and release procedures correctional officers perform — receiving inmates into correctional custody (booking, identification, classification, property handling, medical screening, mental-health screening, suicide-risk assessment); processing inmates for release (court releases, sentence-completion releases, transfers between facilities); the substantial documentation and accountability requirements; and the substantial role of accurate intake and release procedures in inmate management, facility safety, and legal compliance.

The course sits within the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) under Criminal Justice > Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training and is offered at approximately 27 Florida public institutions providing FDLE-certified Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training. CJK0320 is delivered at FDLE-certified Criminal Justice Training Centers as part of the comprehensive Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training Program.

Intake is recognized as among the most-substantial moments in correctional operations — substantial information-gathering occurs at intake that affects subsequent inmate management, classification, programming, and safety. Intake is also when correctional officers may first identify substantial inmate vulnerabilities (suicide risk, mental illness, medical concerns, vulnerable population status) that affect housing decisions and operational considerations. Release is similarly substantial — improper release procedures can result in serious legal consequences and (in worst cases) wrongful release of inmates who should remain in custody.

For comprehensive overview of the FDLE Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training Program structure, regulatory framework, prerequisites, training-center delivery, and career pathways, see the CJK0300 (Introduction to Corrections) guide in this corpus.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of CJK0320, students will be able to:

• Apply principles of inmate intake procedures: the booking process; positive inmate identification; the substantial range of identification documentation and verification; fingerprinting; photographing; the substantial legal and operational significance of accurate identification.
• Apply principles of introductory inmate classification: classification factors (offense severity, criminal history, behavioral history, medical and mental-health considerations, gang affiliations, vulnerability factors); classification systems used in Florida; the substantial role of accurate classification in housing decisions, programming, and operational safety.
• Apply principles of property handling at intake: inventory and receipting of inmate property; secure property storage; the substantial role of accurate property handling in inmate trust and legal compliance; contraband identification at intake; the substantial documentation requirements for property handling.
• Apply principles of introductory medical screening at intake: identifying urgent medical needs at intake; communicable disease screening considerations; the substantial role of accurate medical screening in inmate health and facility safety; the relationship between intake medical screening and ongoing facility healthcare; chronic-condition identification (diabetes, hypertension, mental illness, substance use disorder).
• Apply principles of introductory mental-health and suicide-risk screening at intake: the substantial mental-health prevalence in correctional populations; the substantial elevated suicide risk during initial incarceration period (the substantial body of correctional research demonstrating elevated suicide risk in the first hours and days of incarceration); recognizing immediate suicide-risk indicators at intake; appropriate response to identified suicide risk; the substantial role of intake mental-health screening in inmate safety. Suicide-risk content emphasizes recognition and appropriate professional referral, not specific method-related content.
• Apply principles of introductory substance-abuse screening at intake: recognizing intoxication and withdrawal at intake; the substantial role of substance-abuse screening in inmate medical care; appropriate referral to medical staff for inmates with substance-use concerns; the substantial role of accurate substance-use screening in preventing serious withdrawal complications.
• Apply principles of vulnerable-population identification at intake: identifying inmates at substantial risk of victimization (LGBTQ+ inmates; substantial-disability inmates; first-time offenders in adult facilities; substantially-young inmates; substantially-elderly inmates); appropriate housing considerations for vulnerable inmates per Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requirements; the substantial federal and Florida regulatory framework around vulnerable inmate protection.
• Apply principles of release procedures: court-release procedures; sentence-completion release procedures; transfer procedures between facilities; the substantial verification requirements before release (positive identification, court orders, custody-status verification); release documentation requirements; the substantial legal consequences of improper release.
• Apply principles of release-planning support: introductory awareness of reentry challenges; the substantial role of release-planning in successful reentry; community-based reentry resources awareness.
• Apply principles of introductory inmate-records management: the substantial range of records associated with each inmate; record-keeping requirements; the substantial legal and operational significance of accurate records.
• Apply principles of special intake considerations: female inmates (specific privacy and dignity considerations); juvenile inmates being transferred (where applicable per Florida juvenile justice statutes); medical and mental-health holds; transgender inmate considerations and PREA-related accommodations.
• Pass the required end-of-course examinations covering CJK0320 content as required by FDLE CJSTC and the institution's training center.

Optional Outcomes

Depending on institutional emphasis (within FDLE CJSTC framework constraints):

• Engage with specific intake-area visits: tours of partner Florida correctional facility intake areas providing direct exposure to intake operations.
• Engage with introductory awareness of specialized intake: federal facility intake; ICE detention intake; juvenile facility intake; women's facility intake.
• Engage with introductory awareness of release programs: work release; community-supervision transitions; the substantial range of Florida correctional release options.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Inmate Intake Procedures: Booking process; positive inmate identification; identification documentation and verification range; fingerprinting; photographing; legal and operational significance of accurate identification.
• Introductory Inmate Classification: Classification factors (offense severity, criminal history, behavioral history, medical and mental-health, gang affiliations, vulnerability factors); Florida classification systems; accurate classification in housing decisions, programming, operational safety.
• Property Handling at Intake: Inventory and receipting of inmate property; secure property storage; accurate property handling in inmate trust and legal compliance; contraband identification at intake; documentation requirements.
• Introductory Medical Screening at Intake: Identifying urgent medical needs at intake; communicable disease screening considerations; accurate medical screening in inmate health and facility safety; intake medical screening/ongoing facility healthcare relationship; chronic-condition identification (diabetes, hypertension, mental illness, substance use disorder).
• Introductory Mental-Health and Suicide-Risk Screening at Intake: Mental-health prevalence in correctional populations; elevated suicide risk during initial incarceration period; immediate suicide-risk indicators at intake recognition; appropriate response to identified suicide risk; intake mental-health screening in inmate safety. Coverage emphasizes recognition and appropriate professional referral, not method-related content.
• Introductory Substance-Abuse Screening at Intake: Recognizing intoxication and withdrawal at intake; substance-abuse screening in inmate medical care; appropriate referral to medical staff; accurate substance-use screening in preventing serious withdrawal complications.
• Vulnerable-Population Identification at Intake: Identifying inmates at substantial victimization risk (LGBTQ+, substantial-disability, first-time offenders in adult facilities, substantially-young, substantially-elderly); appropriate housing considerations per Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requirements; federal and Florida regulatory framework around vulnerable inmate protection.
• Release Procedures: Court-release procedures; sentence-completion release procedures; transfer procedures between facilities; verification requirements before release (positive identification, court orders, custody-status verification); release documentation requirements; legal consequences of improper release.
• Release-Planning Support: Reentry challenges introduction; release-planning in successful reentry; community-based reentry resources awareness.
• Introductory Inmate-Records Management: Records associated with each inmate; record-keeping requirements; legal and operational significance of accurate records.
• Special Intake Considerations: Female inmates (specific privacy and dignity considerations); juvenile inmates being transferred (per Florida juvenile justice statutes where applicable); medical and mental-health holds; transgender inmate considerations and PREA-related accommodations.
• End-of-Course Examination: Required end-of-course examinations covering CJK0320 content per FDLE CJSTC and training center requirements.

Optional Topics

• Intake-Area Visits: Tours of partner Florida correctional facility intake areas.
• Specialized Intake (Introductory): Federal facility intake; ICE detention intake; juvenile facility intake; women's facility intake.
• Release Programs (Introductory): Work release; community-supervision transitions; Florida correctional release options range.

Resources & Tools

• FDLE Curriculum Framework: The authoritative reference is the FDLE CJSTC Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training curriculum.
• FDLE-published reference materials and training facility: See the CJK0300 guide for the comprehensive resource overview and Florida training-center listing.
• PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) resources: National PREA Resource Center at prearesourcecenter.org; Florida PREA implementation per Florida Department of Corrections policy. PREA establishes substantial federal requirements for screening, housing, and protection of inmates at substantial risk of sexual victimization.
• Mental-health resources: The substantial mental-health screening content of CJK0320 connects to broader Florida correctional mental-health resources; correctional officers identify mental-health needs and refer to qualified mental-health professionals (counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists) for clinical assessment and intervention.
• Industry credentials: Successful completion of the comprehensive Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training Program (including CJK0320) is required before sitting for the State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE) for corrections.
• Tutoring and support: Training-center instructors and program directors; peer support among fellow recruits.

Career Pathways

CJK0320 is one course module within the comprehensive Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training Program. See the CJK0300 guide for the comprehensive career-pathway overview. Specific considerations for CJK0320 content:

• Intake and release positions are common entry-level assignments for newly-certified correctional officers; the substantial role of intake/release in correctional operations creates substantial entry-level opportunities.
• Specialty intake/release roles develop with experience: classification specialists; intake supervisors; inmate-records specialists.

Special Information

Program Position

CJK0320 is one of the core modules in the FDLE-CJSTC Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training Program at 18 contact hours. See the CJK0300 guide for the complete program structure.

Sensitive Content Note

CJK0320 addresses suicide-risk screening, mental-health screening, vulnerable-population identification, and PREA-related considerations. Content emphasizes recognition, appropriate professional referral, and protective procedures rather than method-specific content. This content reflects the substantial responsibilities correctional officers have in identifying inmates at substantial risk of harm and the substantial professional and ethical obligations associated with accurate intake screening.

Florida CJSTC Regulatory Framework, Prerequisites, and Training-Center Delivery

See the CJK0300 guide for comprehensive overview of the Florida CJSTC regulatory framework, the program prerequisites, and the FDLE-certified training-center delivery model.

Course Format and Hours

CJK0320 is delivered as approximately 18 contact hours per FDLE CJSTC framework, integrated within the comprehensive Correctional Officer Basic Recruit Training Program. The course is delivered face-to-face at FDLE-certified training centers, typically combining classroom instruction with scenario-based practice on intake forms and procedures.

Credits

CJK0320 is a 0-credit PSAV clock-hour course. Per Florida convention, PSAV courses are measured in clock hours rather than college credits.

Course Code Variations

Florida institutions consistently use CJK0320 for this course; some use the format "CJK 0320" with a space. Course title is consistently "Intake and Release" across institutions.