Visiting Amanda Part 2: The Lowell Correctional Institute- First Impressions

On May 24th, 2025, Chris and I made the 90-minute drive from his house in Daytona, Florida, to Ocala, Florida, and arrived at the Lowell Correctional Institution. The prison is separated into three major sections: Lowell Annex, Lowell Main, and Lowell Work Camp. Though the correctional institution is all Lowell, the sections are independent of one another and differ based on security level. The Annex is the highest security section and houses Florida’s only female death row inmate, Tina Brown. The Main is the medium security facility, and the Work Camp is the lowest security facility. The men’s prison is across the street, along with the female prisoner processing center, where assessments are conducted to determine the inmates’ mental capacity, personality, etc. All inmates begin there, but are housed for a maximum of 60 days before being transported to their prison placement.

Amanda Boals was held at the Volusia County Branch Jail for 30 days. Jails, compared to prisons, serve as temporary housing for prisoners, those with sentences of less than one year, and inmates who are awaiting trial. Prisons house long-term inmates who have gone to trial and face sentences longer than a year. Chris and I drove by earlier in the week so I could have a look at the building. He informed me that no physical visitations are allowed at the jail. Instead, visitors who arrive at their visitation center sit in a room and video call with their incarcerated loved one within the main building, something they could easily do without traveling to the jail if allowed. This does not incentivize visitors to come, especially when travelling a long distance for a video call. It’s comparable to arriving at a family member’s house and Facetiming them from the mudroom. This system is especially concerning when inmates can potentially await trial for years without any in-person visitations. 

The Lowell Correctional Institution allows in-person visitations, though the security measures vary depending on the security level. Amanda was initially in the Annex high security prison due to a spacing issue that prevented her from residing at Gadsden Correctional Facility, a private prison known for better residential hygiene products and living conditions. Chris and his wife Chrissy visited Amanda there multiple times and waited outside the entrance for no less than 30 minutes, usually an hour, each time. 

The Annex guards take their time and don’t care whether you stay or leave. In fact, they’d rather you leave. Chris drove me by the Annex for a better view, and I saw, despite the length of the visitation line, only one small covered area with two benches. Two little kids ran around, and one old woman leaning on a cane stood at the end of the line under the 90-degree sun, unable to sit down. “Some people just can’t stand that long,” Chris noted as we drove across the parking lot to the Work Camp.