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Scott Orders Additional Prison Reforms
July 10, 2015
Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order Thursday that furthers prison-reform measures being put in place by Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones.
Scott’s order requires an independent audit of the agency’s operations and creates a partnership between the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Children and Families to establish “best management practices” regarding mental health services.
“This executive order empowers Secretary Jones to improve safety in our correctional facilities, enhance services to reduce recidivism, and address the growing needs of inmates that require additional mental health services,” Scott said in a release tied to the signing. The order follows an executive action taken by Scott in May, after lawmakers failed to agree on prison reforms during the regular legislative session.
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.
Scott’s order in May requires the department to track use-of-force incidents. The May order also 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, adds a fourth administrative region to the Department of Corrections, requires regional directors to make at least two surprise visits each quarter to prisons within their areas and requires Jones to establish a policy to protect employees from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
5 Responses to “Scott Orders Additional Prison Reforms”
Gov Scott spends millions on frivolous lawsuits and his violation of the sunshine law in which he and his cabinet just settled in mediation to avoid Gerald Bailey former head of FDLE from giving a deposition. , Vetoes all northwest
Florida projects and funding for elderly and disabled children and then
Approves 2 million dollars for a Sea Wall on a golf course in south
Florida and no pay raises for correctional officers in nine years.
This is what you voted for.
One answer would be to keep them in jail, so many are getting light sentences and even being released because of jail over crowding! What does that say about our society? And if they are on Death row, then 30 days is too long to wait and most are there for 20-30 years!! Build more jails, it will create jobs! And stop making prison comfortable for these offenders! Stop talking about their “rights”, they lost these when they committed a crime! Get Tough America!!
pay raise would be nice been there for nine years and nadda thing
Once again prick Scott spouts a bunch of jargon but what it boils down to is he created some high paying jobs for people that he owes favors to and the corrections officers for nine years don’t receive a pay raise New York officers helped there inmates escape and make thirty thousand a year more we keep ours in prison and can’t get a raise maybe they are on to something
Scott and double dipper Jones should focus more on PAYING the correction officers a decent wage. Both seem to favor the convicted felon over working officers. The inmates are running the prisons.