Evers Applauds Scott For Prison Reform Order After Legislation Stalls

May 9, 2015

After lawmakers failed to agree on prison reforms this session, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday issued an executive order incorporating some of the provisions in House and Senate bills, including those involving use of force and chemical agents by guards.

Senate Criminal Justice Chairman Greg Evers, who made a series of unannounced visits to several state prisons this year, praised Scott for issuing the order.

“This is very pleasing. It just goes to show that our governor is really paying attention to what goes on in the Legislature,” Evers, who represents the North Escambia area, said.

Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones has already begun to implement some of the items included in Scott’s four-page executive order, which she said emphasizes the importance of the reforms.

“There’s so much skepticism as to whether were going to follow up on things and whether we’ll really do it. It was just to make the point that this is important. I want to implement all of the good stuff the Legislature tried to accomplish this past session. The best way to nail it home was to codify it and make it official. That’s the only reason that we did the executive order,” Jones told The News Service of Florida.

The reforms come amid increased scrutiny of Florida’s prisons in the wake of reports of inmate deaths at the hands of abusive prison guards, cover-ups involving inmate deaths and allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers.

Mirroring a component of a bill unanimously approved by the Senate, Scott’s order requires the department to track use-of-force incidents. Guards or officers who use force on inmates will also have to create “independent” reports of the incidents, sworn under oath, and file them within one day.

Jones said she is already asking prisons to start compiling use-of-force reports.

“Then everything is going into one major spreadsheet in Tallahassee, and that way I can look at officers as they move between facilities to keep track of any and all of their activity. So it’s happening on two different fronts,” she said Friday.

And, as in the Senate proposal (SB 7020), Scott’s order requires each prison to keep track of the use of chemical agents as well as the disposal of expired, used or damaged canisters of gas.

Tracking use-of-force incidents as well as the chemical agents themselves are among the most significant items included in the reforms, Jones said.

“The mere fact that we have eyes on the use of force issues. … We’re going to go ahead and create the extra accountability at the regional level that the House wanted, and we’re doing a deep dive on the chemical agents. That whole audit and that wholesale review of the chemical agents, you’ve heard stories. I’ve heard stories. I think that’s a big piece,” she said.

Like the House plan, Scott’s executive order adds a fourth administrative region to the Department of Corrections and requires regional directors to make at least two surprise visits each quarter to prisons within their areas. The directors will also have to review “statistics and trends” related to use of force, employee discipline, inmate grievances and inmate abuse four times a year.

Scott’s order also requires Jones to “ensure that the department establishes a policy to protect from retaliation those employees who report wrongdoing,” an undertaking Jones and her predecessor, Mike Crews, have struggled to implement in an agency where guards have repeatedly complained about retribution from supervisors or colleagues after exposing abuse or corruption.

The governor’s executive action also requires the agency to investigate and evaluate “the usefulness and dependability of existing safety and security technology,” including new video-monitoring systems, and to contract with safety and security consultants as needed.

Comments

7 Responses to “Evers Applauds Scott For Prison Reform Order After Legislation Stalls”

  1. john on May 10th, 2015 5:07 pm

    If you want to fix any prisoner abuse problems you can only do one thing, there has to be a greater separation between prisoner and correction officer. When you build a prison you have to think of this beforehand. Build their cells where one prisoner can eat, sleep, shower, and exercise in that one space, and lock him up 24-7. After you accomplish this you will need less guards. Prison suicides may go up, but prison life isn’t supposed to be comfortable IT SHOULD BE HARD!!! After all if your gonna act like an animal were gonna treat you like one.

  2. Dan on May 9th, 2015 5:56 pm

    this should be really easy for the governor and the secretary to accomplish since the things they said they were going to do has been being done for years and has been policy for years how about a raise now that hasn’t been done for about ten years about the same amount of time these so called changes has been policy

  3. No Excuses on May 9th, 2015 11:52 am

    @ BT – I agree, but it starts in the highest office in the land. Someone should clue President Obama in on the fact that bills are not made into laws by executive order. EO should be used sparingly, and at least Gov. Scott follows the “Use Sparingly” practice.

    Glad to see that something is being done!

  4. BT on May 9th, 2015 8:48 am

    That’s not how government should work.

    Source: Schoolhouse Rock, How a Bill Becomes a Law.

  5. Bob C. on May 9th, 2015 8:19 am

    Perhaps if the state lawmakers were required to meet in one of our state prisons instead of plush Tallahassee offices they would be better able to concentrate on the needs of those they were elected to represent.
    Those who fuss, complain and cannot get along with each other could share a cell in solitary until they worked out their differences.
    Lobbyist would be barred from any form of visitation or influence as they can be a distraction to what should be a smooth flow of government.
    Prison clothing, food, conditions and surrounded by their elected peers there may be a more swift and just legislative session.
    Just sayin….

  6. Puddin on May 9th, 2015 8:09 am

    Sounds like a good start. As the mother of an young man who was an S O for about 5 years before he quit in disgust with the system, I applaud the changes. But Id like to see this go further, to include a greater level of responsibility among the inmates. Spit, through urine, strike or otherwise assault an S O and pay some serious consequensces. And for pity sake, take those darn hot pots away. How many S Os need to have boiling, or near boiling water thrown on them.

  7. Mary Lynn McDavid on May 9th, 2015 5:50 am

    This is how government should work. As they used to say, “Get ‘er done.”

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News