Ryan Ray
Following weeks of testimony, hostile op-eds and public recriminations about the sordid state of affairs in some Florida prisons, members of the Senate Criminal Justice committee unanimously approved a committee-sponsored bill aimed at beefing up intra-prison security and accountability, SB 7020, late on Tuesday afternoon.
Committee chairman Sen. Greg Evers of Baker hailed the passage of the bill through his committee in statement Tuesday evening.
“This bipartisan legislation is the product of weeks of public input, and I am grateful to everyone who played a role in the development of such a comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges facing our prisons,” said Chair Evers. “Safety is our first and foremost concern. We want to make sure our prisons are safe and secure for our correctional officers and the inmates over which they keep watch.”
Among other things, the bill would mandate use-of-force tracking for each prisoner to determine whether an inmate needs medical or mental health treatment; require audio and visual recordings of prison inspections; and enhance the level of access that outside entities have to Florida’s prison system, which is reportedly rife with violence and abuse.
A strike-all amendment was adopted to incorporate elements of Orange Park Sen. Rob Bradley‘s SB 212 into the committee bill, namely the creation of an oversight commission and a requirement that the Department of Corrections Secretary to be appointed by the Governor with the concurrence of three members of the Cabinet, a move that evokes recent concerns that many Cabinet-level appointments have been usurped by the Governor in the wake of Baileygate.
The bill also seeks to specifically reform shoddy treatment administered to elderly and mentally ill inmates which has been chronicled in the foreign press.
“We also want to make certain that our prisoners have access to the appropriate care if they should become sick or injured during their incarceration,” said Evers on Tuesday. “This legislation will increase oversight in the delivery of inmate health care, better protect and manage elderly inmates with higher levels of health care needs and increase training for corrections officers to include specialized training for managing inmates who suffer from mental illness.”
Lofty goals to be sure, but whether this bill will be able to penetrate what former DOC chief Mike Crews called “unsafe” prison conditions remains to be seen.
