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Staff ReportsApril 25, 2016

The state’s prisons agency and a prisoner rehab program now are sparring in press releases. The Florida Department of Corrections last week said it was ending its partnership with the Orlando-based Bridges of America nonprofit. Bridges of America had a contract to run a transitional and substance abuse program in Broward County. The arrangement ends May 16, and the department told the […]

Ryan RayApril 25, 2016

When a prisoner told former Dade Correctional Facility counsellor Harriet Krzykowski about how the prison guards starved him and his fellow inmates, Krzykowski thought he must be paranoid. But as Eyal Press in the New Yorker writes, that wasn’t the half of it. Krzykowski worked in the facility’s “Transitional Care Unit,” or T.C.U., which, in theory was “designed […]

Jim RosicaApril 22, 2016

A nonprofit specializing in helping former prisoners re-enter society is slamming the state for shutting it down. Specifically, Bridges of America says the Department of Corrections is pulling the plug on its transitional and substance abuse program in Broward County. The current contract between Bridges and the department ends May 16. The state told the […]

Jim RosicaApril 13, 2016

A contract worth over $260 million for health care at the state’s prisons will stand after an administrative law judge sided with the Department of Corrections. Wexford Health Sources had challenged the contract for prison health care in north and central Florida awarded to Centurion of Florida. Centurion wanted to replace Corizon, the current vendor, […]

Mitch PerryApril 8, 2016

A mentally ill inmate who was in protective custody was found dead at the Columbia Correctional Institution on Tuesday, a day after a corrections officer was hospitalized in an attack. It’s yet another black mark on Florida’s prison system, one that many say is overcrowded and underfunded. The Department of Corrections, though, insists those issues had nothing […]

Phil AmmannApril 5, 2016

A state auditor general’s report found Florida’s Department of Corrections failed to enforce monitoring provisions outlined in contracts with private health care providers. According to LobbyTools, the supervisory failure resulted in the state incurring more than $1 million in additional costs by undercharging vendors. The DOC “did not timely conduct monitoring of inmate health care […]

Scott PowersMarch 16, 2016

The Florida Policy Institute says the state’s new 2016 budget is better than Gov. Rick Scott’s initial proposal. The nonprofit’s report, though, says the spending plan still lacks adequate investment in health care, public education, prisons and other state services. The report praised the Legislature for killing Scott’s proposed $1 billion tax cut, saying it […]

Ryan RayMarch 6, 2016

Senior legislative budget writers met Sunday afternoon to continue hammering out differences in Florida House and Senate appropriations proposals, still hundreds of millions of dollars apart. In keeping with their recent meetings since committee sub-chairs “bumped up” remaining budget issues to the at-large budget conference, Chairman Rep. Richard Corcoran and Vice Chairman Sen. Tom Lee – their respective chambers’ […]

Peter SchorschMarch 4, 2016

As the Legislature’s “big chairs” meet this weekend to try to take the 2016-17 state budget in for a landing, there are few issues more pressing and in the public eye than fixing Florida’s ailing Department of Corrections and prison system in general. The department has gained a reputation for cutting corners in a way that […]

Associated PressDecember 10, 2015

A Florida Panhandle county’s jail system is in turmoil after administrators fired its director after six inmate deaths in the past 13 months, three by suicide and three by natural causes. The first death under director Michael Tidwell, who was fired last week, came just months after a 2014 explosion killed two inmates, injured 200 […]

Tag: Department of Corrections
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 4/18/25-Candles and remembrances are left near the Unconquered statue a few hours after the Florida State University Gathering of Unity Vigil held Friday to honor victims of the recent mass shooting. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Bridges of America fighting to stay open in Broward

In Florida’s prisons, fear and loathing

State ending prisoner-assistance program in Broward

Wexford loses challenge over prisons health care contract

Jeff Brandes say his next focus will be on reforming Florida prison system

Failure to monitor prison healthcare providers cost Florida $1.2M in undercharges, new audit shows

Policy institute calls final state budget better than Rick Scott’s, but still lacking

Budget conferees agree on general government, prison funding issues; bump state radios funds

Don’t cut corners on Dept. of Corrections health funding

Panhandle county fires jail director after 6 inmate deaths