Scott Appoints Crews To Head Up Department Of Corrections

December 18, 2012

Deputy Secretary of Corrections Michael D. Crews was promoted to secretary Monday by Gov. Rick Scott, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Ken Tucker.

Crews becomes the third secretary of the prisons agency under Scott in three years. Tucker had replaced Scott’s initial choice for secretary, Ed Buss, who had disagreements with the administration.

Tucker would have had to leave the agency no later than March, when his time in the state’s Deferred Retirement Option Program is up. Crews took over as the head of the agency on Monday.

Crews has nearly 30 years experience in corrections and law enforcement, and has been deputy secretary since last year. He’s also worked at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and started his career as a probation and parole officer, before working as a correctional officer at Apalachee Correctional Institution and the Tallahassee Work Release Center from 1984 to 1986.

“Throughout Michael’s impressive career, he has demonstrated an excellent understanding of law enforcement and a willingness to serve the citizens of Florida,” Scott said in a statement released Monday morning.  “I am confident Michael will lead the Department of Corrections with integrity, leadership, and with an understanding of our ultimate goal to keep Floridians safe.”

Crews takes over an agency that has been forced to cut positions, and is in the middle of a long-running battle between lawmakers and corrections officers unions over privatization, both of prisons and the health care services in the prisons. The agency has also seen lawmakers target a number of prisons for closure, as the number of empty beds has risen with lower crime rates.

The agency, faced with the prospect of additional budget cuts, has also raised the prospect that it may consider more privatization, though it hasn’t spelled out any detailed plans yet. A budget document published in October said the department could cut costs through further privatization of facilities, though a spokeswoman said at the time that no list of possible privatization targets existed yet.

Crews has a bachelor’s in criminology from Florida State.  The secretary of corrections makes $160,000.

By The News Service of Florida

Comments

One Response to “Scott Appoints Crews To Head Up Department Of Corrections”

  1. Trying to survive on December 18th, 2012 5:31 am

    So the secretary makes 160,000 and they can’t seem to hire any more officers even though we are working under critical everyday and have not had a raise in over 6 years?

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