AFMH Facilities
Forensic Facilities
Florida State Hospital (FSH) - Forensic Service
Unlike the other forensic facilities in Florida, which are free standing, the Forensic Service at Florida State Hospital is part of a larger state mental health treatment facility. This facility is on a sprawling campus that dates back to the Second Seminole Indian War in 1832 and is listed on the National Historic Registry. The facility currently has a capacity for 959 individuals, of which 469 are included in the Forensic Service. The Forensic Service has a capacity for 353 males and 116 females. Up to an additional 245 individuals with forensic commitments may reside within the civil part of the hospital. These are individuals who do not require the security of a forensic setting.
While defendants in criminal proceedings have been admitted to Florida State Hospital since prior to World War I, the forensic program was not opened until 1973. The program opened as a result of demands for separate space for criminally charged residents. The program has grown from a single program serving 42 individuals to the Forensic Service of today, which includes two separate facilities on the hospital grounds (an admission facility with a capacity for 150 male individuals and a separate female admission area and longer term male treatment program with a capacity for 319 individuals).
The majority of persons admitted to the Forensic Service of Florida State Hospital have been adjudicated incompetent to proceed with a primary goal of restoration of competency. The other major group of individuals were found not guilty by reason of insanity with stabilization and post-hospital planning as primary goals. Florida State Hospital is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). This accreditation was renewed in 2012 for three years. The treatment program at FSH includes a variety of treatment, rehabilitation and enrichment services to address the therapeutic needs of each individual. Services include evaluation and assessment, individualized service planning, psychiatric treatment, judicial competency training, health care services, psychiatric rehabilitation, vocational and education services, addiction services, rehabilitation therapy and a wide variety of enrichment activities.
Visiting Hours:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
North Florida Evaluation & Treatment Center (NFETC)
Opened in 1976, this facility is operated as an evaluation and treatment center for people with mental illnesses who are involved in the criminal justice system. Today NFETC has 193 beds open for the evaluation and treatment of residents who have major mental disorders. These residents are either incompetent to proceed to trial or have been judged to be not guilty by reason of insanity. NFETC’s mission is to evaluate, treat and discharge in a manner which ensures proper safety, security and respect of rights. NFETC is a C.A.R.F. accredited maximum security treatment facility, not a jail or prison. Residents receive a wide range of services provided by mental health technicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and nurses. Services are provided by an Interdisciplinary Treatment Team composed of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a counselor and a nurse. Appropriate services such as Food Service, Accounting and Human Resources support the direct care staff.
Most residents of the facility are provided psychotropic medication for their mental illness, along with individual and group therapy, educational and didactic programs, basic health care and ancillary therapies such as art, music and recreation.
The average stay for a person committed as incompetent to proceed is about four months, for a person committed as not guilty by reason of insanity the average stay is about twenty-four months.
Visiting Hours:
Our visits take place in our Visitor's Lounge. We are available for visits any day of the week. On weekends and holidays no appointment is necessary. Because of meal times for the residents we have set visiting hours from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM and from 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM. On weekdays, please make an appointment with the resident's Counselor at least 48 hours in advance. Visits are normally limited to two hours. Visit the NFETC website for additional information regarding visits and for driving directions.
South Florida Evaluation & Treatment Center (SFETC)
South Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center (SFETC) is a licensed forensic hospital located in Florida City, Florida. The facility has a capacity to serve 238 individuals with space specifically allocated for 56 females. It provides mental health assessments and psychiatric rehabilitation treatment to individuals who have been declared incompetent to proceed to trial (ITP) or not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI) by the state circuit courts. Opened originally in 1986 in Miami and moved to a new facility in Florida City in 2008, it is currently operated by GEO Care, LLC under contract with the Florida Department of Children & Families. It was the first forensic state hospital in Florida to be accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) under the Hospital Accreditation Standards. SFETC's mission is to improve the lives of those touched by mental illness. Committed under the state of Florida forensic statute, most individuals require treatment in a secure setting to restore competency to participate in their forth-coming trial. Others, who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity, require treatment before transfer to a less restrictive facility or release to the community.
Visiting Hours:
Visits with SFETC residents by family members and significant others requires a pre-screening interview and are scheduled by the social services counselors. Visitation is Monday through Friday 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. and weekends and legal holidays is from 9 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 3:45 pm. Special visitations (e.g., visits with young children, family members visiting from outside the south Florida area are arranged on a case by case basis.
Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center
Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center (TCFTC) is a forensic mental health treatment center operated by GEO Care, LLC under contract with the Florida Department of Children & Families. The center opened in 2007 and is located in western Martin County on the Treasure Coast. The center has a contracted capacity of 208 beds for adult males who have been criminally charged with a felony offense and have been determined to be incompetent to proceed to trial (ITP) or not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI) by the state circuit courts.
The philosophy of the Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center is mental health recovery is real. Whether incompetent to proceed or not guilty by reason of insanity, recovery is the priority and the emphasis of treatment. Residents in a forensic setting are at an intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems. Recovery of mental illness is essential for our residents to move from the most restrictive setting to a less restrictive environment including successful integration into the community.
Visiting Hours:
Visitation of approved family members and friends is available from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., weekends and holidays. Approval for visitation is coordinated through the resident’s social worker.