2013
OFFENDER POPULATION JUNE 30, 2013
INMATES: 100,884
SUPERVISED: 145,802
INMATES: 100,884
SUPERVISED: 145,802
February 2013, Community Corrections pilots the Alternative Sanctions Program (ASP) to allow probation officers to administratively address certain technical violations with sanctions specifically approved by the court.
The Corrections Foundation’s Employee Assistance Program assists 346 employees with over $333,000 for emergencies, illnesses, house fires, hospitalizations, etc.
The elderly inmate population in prison continues to increase, from 11,178 on June 30, 2006 to 19,600 on June 30, 2013. Zephyrhills and Lowell CIs, as well as River Junction work camp and F-Dorm at South Florida Reception Center are specifically designated for this special needs population.
JUNE 21, 2013
Jacksonville Walmart surveillance footage is seen nationwide, showing an eight-year-old girl with suspect Donald Smith on the night Smith abducts, rapes and murders the girl. Smith had befriended the girl, her mother and sisters at another store and told them he would take them shopping at Walmart. Instead, he leaves the store with the girl. Smith, who had a previous conviction for a sex offense, receives a death sentence for her murder. Public outrage helps lead to legislation passed the following year to increase restrictions on sex offenders.
The FDC implements a statewide healthcare outsourcing project. Wexford Health Sources provides comprehensive onsite and offsite medical, mental health, dental, pharmacy management, utilization management, claims, quality management, risk management, and other services to more than 15,000 inmates at nine institutions in South Florida. Corizon, Inc. is awarded a contract for comprehensive health care services in the rest of the state.
As part of its family reunification efforts, the Department enters into a partnership with Sesame Street to bring a new resource to the children and families of inmates in Florida’s prisons. Sesame Street’s “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration” is designed to help children cope with the challenges of having an incarcerated parent by providing support and comfort, and helping incarcerated parents with communication and parenting from prison. Florida is one of ten states selected to participate in the Sesame Street program with all materials and resources provided at no charge to the state.
In an effort to save money, institutions initiate new costs savings efforts like sewing inmate uniforms and bedclothes in-house rather than purchasing them from outside vendors; hanging inmate laundry out to dry on clothes lines rather than running industrial-sized dryers; making laundry soap in-house rather than purchasing it from outside vendors; and moving away from using dishwashers and towards hand washing dishes in compartmental sinks made by inmates in vocational programs.
Community Work Squads provide inmate labor to state agencies, political subdivisions of the state (cities, counties, and municipalities), universities, and non-profit organizations. These squads save communities money, while also providing inmates meaningful work and opportunities to learn valuable skills that will help them re-enter society upon their release. In FY 2012-13, Community Work Squads performed 5.7 million hours of work, which is valued at more than $78 million – with net costs savings/value added of $49 million provided to the citizens of Florida.
In FY 2012-13, offenders on community supervision complete more than 1.4 million hours of community service. FDC, through the Office of Community Corrections, also collects more than $71 million from offenders on community supervision to go toward victim restitution, court costs, fines, and other fees.
There are 38 Canine Tracking Programs within the FDC, deploying for reasons as various as searching for missing persons or escaped felons to providing aid to persons in distress.
COMBATING CONTRABAND WITH DRUG AND CELL PHONE SNIFFING DOGS IN PRISON
The Office of the Inspector General conducts unannounced drug interdiction operations by searching employees, visitors, inmates, vehicles and areas on FDC grounds for contraband. During a K-9 inspection on March 20, 2013, Correctional Officer (C.O.) Inspector Desmond Dilorenzo noticed that a padlock on the pipe chase cover appeared to have been modified. Further inspection revealed that the lock had actually been cut and put back on the pipe chase to make it appear that it was intact. Inside of the chase, multiple contraband items were found including three cell phones and two homemade weapons.
On March 20, 2013, K-9 Inspector Anthony Rowan and his dog Uno, whose specialty is sniffing out cell phones, recovered five contraband cell phones during a search of common areas in a work camp, considered a high number for a work camp. After Inspector Rowan left the facility, security staff noticed some inmates in the recreation area appeared to be searching for something. Security staff removed inmates from the area and conducted a physical search, where they found another cell phone which may have been tossed by the inmates when they saw Inspector Rowan and Uno arrive at the facility.
On March 21, 2013, C.O. Inspector Eliazar Mares was conducting a K-9 Inspection in a housing unit when canine Tina alerted to a mattress in a lower bunk area. Multiple items of contraband, including nine grams of crack cocaine, were recovered. This operation was conducted in response to information provided by Senior Inspector Conan Davidson. Noted Sr. Inspector Darrel Grabner: “It really helps when we get cooperation from state investigations with timely and good information which helps us target specific areas.” Contraband can take the form of cell phones, lighters, tobacco and even cash in a prison setting, along with more typical forms of contraband – homemade weapons and drugs. Cell phones are contraband because they can be used to intimidate witnesses, plan escapes, harass victims and conduct criminal enterprises from prison.
 |
 |
| Florida's first two cell phone sniffing dogs: Uno (left) and Razor | |
The recidivism rate for inmates drops to 25.7% (for inmates who were released in 2010), meaning for those inmates who were released in 2010, 25.7% of them returned to a Florida state prison within a three-year period.
Seven inmates are executed in 2013. They are:
- Larry Mann (after 32 years on death row);
- Elmer Carroll (21 years on death row);
- William Van Poyck (24 years on death row);
- John Ferguson (35 years on death row);
- Marshall Gore (23 years on death row);
- William Happ (24 years on death row); and
- Darius Kimbrough (almost 19 years on death row).
2014
OFFENDER POPULATION JUNE 30, 2014
INMATES: 100,942
SUPERVISED: 143,809
INMATES: 100,942
SUPERVISED: 143,809
Dinsmore, Lake City, Santa Fe, Cocoa, Bartow and Tarpon Springs Work Release Centers are privatized. All these vendor-operated work release inmates are placed on electronic monitoring.
Gadsden County Re-Entry Facility opens in January. This 432-bed facility is designed to prepare inmates for re-entry into society by providing academic, vocation, substance abuse and transition services.
The Department adds 80 adult female beds to its Faith and Character-Based Residential (FCBR) facilities at Lowell Annex, and designates Hernando Correctional Institution (CI) as a FCBR facility with 467 beds for female inmates.
A Residential Treatment Unit (RTU) is established at Union CI to safely house and provide mental health services for inmates with unique needs. Since implementation, many inmates have successfully completed their Close Management (CM) time in the RTU.
SECRETARY CREWS RESIGNS
At the urging of the Governor’s office, Secretary Crews submits a budget request to the legislature that includes only half the number of officers he needs to fill vacancies and bring staffing up to safe levels. Crews considers it an inaccurate representation of FDC’s true needs, and he refuses to sign the Legislative Budget Request (LBR). Shortly after, he resigns. Crews, 53, is the third Department of Corrections secretary appointed during Governor Rick Scott's first term in office. Crews, who served as Secretary from December 2012 to November 2014, is replaced by interim Secretary Tim Cannon.
Forty-six institutions provide inmates the opportunity to obtain identification documents such as social security cards, state ID cards, and birth certificates before release, invaluable tools to help them find jobs and housing.
More than 100 staff are trained as Thinking for a Change (T4C) facilitators. T4C is an innovative, evidence-based cognitive behavioral curriculum created by the National Institute of Corrections for offenders that includes cognitive restructuring, along with the development of social and problem-solving skills. The curriculum teaches offenders how to identify the thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and beliefs that may lead them to offend. The T4C program will later become one of FDC’s core transition programs.
The recidivism rate for inmates increases to 26.2% (for inmates who were released in 2011), meaning for those inmates who were released in 2011, 26.2% of them returned to a Florida state prison within a three-year period.
Eight inmates are executed in 2014. They are:
- Thomas Knight aka Askari Muhammad (almost 39 years on death row);
- Juan Carlos Chavez (15 years on death row);
- Paul Howell (19 years on death row);
- Robert Henry (25 years on death row);
- Robert Hendrix (22 years on death row);
- Eddie Davis (19 years on death row); and
- Chadwick Banks (20.5 years on death row).
- John Henry has been in prison or jail since April 1987 on a murder charge or conviction, but not all of that time is on death row, due to his sentence being vacated and a retrial. Therefore, his actual time on death row is undetermined. Actual time on death row is approximately 22 years.
