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Lawmakers Turn Down Florida DOC Prison Staffing Request
March 5, 2016
A deal on the state’s public-safety budget that lawmakers reached late Friday would not give the Department of Corrections the 734 additional positions that the agency says are necessary to make Florida’s prisons more secure.
The new jobs were part of an effort by the department to have corrections officers work eight-hour shifts instead of 12-hour shifts. The department has been reeling from a series of reports about issues such as contraband smuggling and abuse of inmates.
Corrections Secretary Julie Jones, who took over the troubled agency last year, requested the positions after three separate audits blamed prison problems, including contraband such as cell phones, on inadequate and overworked staff.
The agency recently launched a lobbying effort, including distributing “734″ stickers, to try to convince the Legislature to approve the staffing levels. Earlier this week, on Twitter, Jones tried to stress the urgency of the situation.
“This is an officer and inmate safety issue,” she tweeted at a reporter. “The Department doesn’t just want 734 … we need it.”
But Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, a Brandon Republican leading the budget negotiations, said legislative staff members believe the agency has enough to do in handling the fallout of a health-care contracting issue.
“Our staff felt that the department pretty much had its hands full dealing with the health-care issues that it needed to deal with and that this was probably more than they could swallow at the current time,” Lee said.
He also noted that the agency already has a large number of open positions that could be filled.
In addition to finishing work on the criminal and civil justice portion of the budget, which also covers the courts system, Lee and House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran struck an agreement on funding for transportation and economic development.
A $6 million film-incentive program that the Senate wanted was dropped from the final deal. Lawmakers also agreed to a provision allowing law-enforcement officers to be assigned to protect Cabinet members.
“We’ve all been aware that the attorney general’s had some serious issues over these last few years but in looking at it and looking at the reform, it was for all the Cabinet officers,” said Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes. “If they need it and the circumstances necessitate it, then obviously we want to make sure that that’s taken care of.”
He said lawmakers would look for ways during the last week of the legislative session to make the provision a permanent part of state law; the budget language would expire after a year.
Lee and Corcoran are still working on the spending plan for education, as well as some administrative portions of the budget. The talks have to be completed by Tuesday for the legislative session to end on Friday, as scheduled, because lawmakers are required to have 72 hours to review the budget before voting on it.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Comments
27 Responses to “Lawmakers Turn Down Florida DOC Prison Staffing Request”
Read the comments. That is why we are looked at the way we are. We would rather fight among each other than stand together.
Staff is not overworked by the 12 hour shifts. The majority of the staff like the 12 hour shifts because it gives them more time with their families. Correction Officers are tired because they are working overtime or a 2nd job to get by. I am going on 9 years as a correction officer and a brand new officer makes the exact same amount. They need to do the step raises throughout the department to keep the seasoned staff that you have. WE NEED A RAISE!
@LW
Best comment by far. You sure know how to say what you’re trying to say in a manner that doesn’t create strife. Thanks.
15 years with the DC. Way too much feel good coolaid pumped down my throat to see past the real issue (and it has nothing to do with the great new patch, seal, FDC logo, or redesigned uniforms). Divide and conquer has always been the Tallahassee way. We had it better a long time ago for many reasons. First: We are good honorable people who have not committed felonies (and not only because we haven’t got caught yet – That Line is Disgusting and Cheap, always has been). The truth is nobody goes beyond complaining anymore. Tallahassee had issues with the PBA for a reason. (Not a perfect union but they werent ran by the son of a mobster. Plus they would actually fight for us from time to time on REAL issues.) If you work at a Pride Camp or near a region office you can attest: The corruption extends from the Assistant Warden’s (who get kick backs in their bank accounts for cutting positions) all the way to the Governor’s Office. No one had their hand in the cookie jar up to his elbow like Bush. And he wonders why he had to drop out of the GOP running.
We can organize and get this right. We can effect the legislature. We do not need 1983 conditions to do it. We must band together and demand better working conditions, benifits, pay, and respect. Our culture is not one of corruption, it is one of poor training and failure of our supervisors to back us up. Too many rules to govern or explain other rules and grown ups being treated like children. I was raised by and around LEO (My dad and uncle are Chiefs of Police). The idea of micro managing a department is absurd and counter productive.
Call your Union Reps, talk to your legislative representatives. Start a movement and take our department back. Let the Tallahassee cronies and the Department Representatives have their coolaid, we are the only ones that can get results. Talk to an “old timer” with 25 plus years of experience. They did the work and made the union work for them. They were mistreated and underpaid and they did something about it. It’s time to get away from whatever excuse we have established and follow the examples set years ago. We are out of sight and out of mind. NO ONE Cares but us. Lets light it up so the truth about our prison system and our Tallahassee Supervisors can come to light. No one wants to hear about it so make some noise they have to do something about. Make them shut us up so they can go back to their feel good ignorance. PREA doesn’t work, Staff Development is falling short, corruption is on the rise, introduction of contraband makes me think I’m working in a third world prison system not the Florida DC. We were the best, if we don’t do something we are well on our way to the bottom of the barrel. Maybee it’s already too late. Why not fight now? If not now, never mind.
@Jake
He didn’t. At least not in the sense that you mean. He worked for gain time, not an hourly wage.
@Chris how many years did you work for doc why did you give it up
@Retired Co
Perhaps, if you started early 70’s. Corrections was much different then. Its like anything else today the world and character of the people have gone to crap. Theres so much information to process that one cannot focus on one thing. Too much confusion.
I respect my elders so thank you for the 30 years. I suppose our lives are only measured by the good we do and leave behind. Rick Scott is a dunce, we all know that. Not sure it matters who’s in charge anymore. Even if we can get a good politician, media and public perception is much more powerful than any one or group of men. Hopefully though, officers will come together to win what they need through intelligence. It surely will never come from this.
If you guys will remember, or maybe you don’t. I personally challenged both the former leader of the house and senate to come work at a mans prison for 2 weeks, back more than 6 years ago. Mr. Haridopoulus was to much of a chicken as was his side kick from the other side. You are correct about some screwed up politicians. I am wondering what the health care fiasco has to do with staffing, aren’t you? What a cop out on their part to fix this crap. Best wishes to you guys, I like working my Sheriff.
This is crazy to me! My husband and I both work with DOC, I recently left for a better paying county job same field. Florida DOC hasn’t seen pay raises in 8 years. The only increase in received was promoting. In fact we’ve taken a five percent pay cut thanks to Rick Scott and President Obama. My husband works at a male facility and either the rise of assaults on staff, violent offenders, and lack of concern by administration and apparently law makers, the thought of raising two children alone because of faulty equipment lack of staff, or overworked staffs response time scares me to death. I hope this gets a second look, staff are truly suffering.
@Chris in Molino, I retired after 30 years as a correctional officer, thanks for asking!. I’d wager that you weren’t even born when I started.
A lot has indeed changed in those three decades, mainly the attitude of the young officers today that don’t understand the concept of working hard toward better pay and benefits. Most would rather complain and get somebody else to fight for them in Tallahassee. I have been there myself in the past and I have personally stood up in the Capitol and fought for what was right. Too many people want it all right now and aren’t willing to put forth the effort or the time needed to affect real change.
Govonor Scott is not now, nor has he ever been a friend to corrections. His efforts to privatize the industry shows his contempt for all of us. Every study conducted has shown privatization to be an abject failure in the long run, ending up costing far more than if the government had maintained operations all along. This is his plan, get everybody so disgruntled that they quit which will create a staffing crisis (as though there isn’t one now) thus opening the door for an emergency order to bring in one of his personally affiliated private operators like CCA.
Let us not forget that the legislature is also attacking your retirement and medical benefits as well. If the employees don’t get more involved soon, they (the legslature) will think that everybody is OK with the course they are setting and cut into your livelihood even further!
Yes, I am retired, my days of entering the compound are done and I do enjoy the retired life that my 30 years of toil has provided. Now it is up to other people to take up the good fight. It can be won, but more of you must become personally involved or they will see the lack of resolve as a weakness and run over everyone.
Good luck!
@John L
Never did I say quit because inmates were abused. Can ask fellow whiner Dan about that when he threatened to call Walt Murphy on me, or whoever the flavor of the month IG is.
At any rate, im done. This article is about the denial of funds for additional officers. While I agree with the why I can’t help but get hammered by morons about the how. So, until you have something substantial to add regarding the above, please, refrain from adding anything below.
@chris from molino
You should be a politician yourself the way you flip flop your position on here. you think all the inmates should be beat up then you say previously that you quit because they were abused. I think you do the most whining of anybody but that’s what they those of us can Do and the rest complain about whining while whining
@John
Well bigmouth, many can say you have all the answers and seem to know everything. I don’t claim to have all the answers. I worked years in some of the toughest prisons that were a different era from the controlled movement adopted in the millennium. You go work in the East Unit or Raiford of 20 years ago then we’ll see where your heart is. And I work on base now.
@Retired CO
Are you retired, or just 5-10 yrs ? Cause if your a newbie (to me) thats anything after 2004.
No guest, no thug loving liberal. I think most inmates should be there for life. I think guards should be able to kick an inmates teeth in for acting up but watch your back when your that kind of gaurd. Just tired of all the whining. Its an easy job with decent pay for no school required. Toys ? The expos every year with coms and weapons from the biggest companies. Want more officers ? Lobby lawmakers to stop holding illegal immigrants like cubans, mexicans, haitians, etc. for the duration of their sentance and let ICE have em ASAP. Look at inmates ID cards. 90% of hispanics are counted as White to boost up the white population. Imagine that. But liberal, no. Most are animals and what id do isn’t reasonable so what is ?
I think this is what Chris was talking about. The types and quantities of drugs required for an
offense to be considered drug trafficking in Florida are wildly disparate. Illegal
possession of some drugs, such as prescription painkillers that contain oxycodone
or hydrocodone, require a very small amount to trigger a drug trafficking charge
that carries the same mandatory minimum sentence as trafficking a much larger
quantity of other drugs, such as cocaine or marijuana, for example. Florida’s
mandatory minimum sentences for these offenses are not only disproportionately
harsh, but have led to the imprisonment of numerous low-level, non-violent
offenders, have increased corrections expenditures, and have effectively eliminated
judicial discretion, which has resulted in unjust and unnecessary punishment in
some cases.
WE HAVE SOME SCREWED UP LAWMAKERS, How can you vote to START having law enforcement officers assiggned to protect cabinet members and refuse to agree to hiring new correctional officers to help protect our overworked and underpaid correctional officers.When are you going to start protecting our correctional officers that put their life on the line everyday. DO you know how ridiculous this sounds.
Everyone needs to go vote!! PITIFUL Maybe lawmakers need to go work as a correctional officer a few weeks to see how they would like! No one in my household works there but i do know some who do! Someone needs to get their head out of the sand and bring back morals, honor and respect back to America!
@chris from molino
You seem to have the answer for everything on here what do you do for a living now that you don’t work in prison obviously you couldn’t handle that job regardless of what excuse you come up with you and I know the truth some people don’t have any heart but they try to be a know it all and act like they’re tuff but you and I know the truth
State of Florida Employees are going for the 3rd year without a pay increase due to the focus being on cutting taxes…two different dates below, two different outcomes…
Feb. 1, 2016 from the Democrat Capitol Reporter:
State employees would get a 3-percent pay increase starting July 1 if a proposal approved Monday by a Senate committee becomes law.
Mar 4, 2016, from Democrat Capitol Reporter:
There will be no across-the-board pay raise for state employees in the budget lawmakers are writing.
“It’s disturbing, state employees are not being treated fairly,”
“…there is something wrong with the process when we go eight years without giving employees a pay raise,” said Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee.
REGARDING:
“It must be a great feeling to work for DOC.
They care so much , just not about their employees.”
DOC requested more money to reduce burden on employees and improve safety of their involuntary, but self-sent guests.
The legislature decided to not provide that money.
How is DOC to blame?
And regarding the claim by another that we should simply let drug runners out early, that would turn a sixth of them loose., still leaving plenty of others in prison.
To really save DOC money, we could just let killers, rapists, thieves, all criminals go free.
That would obviously be stupid beyond words.
Governments exist to protect people, not aid their predators.
Florida prison population as of December 2014, per
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/Quickfacts.html
54.3% violent offenses
22.2% property offenses
16.2% drug offenses
8.0% all other offenses
David for proper government
Turn the inmates into corrections officers.
They got nothing else to do most of the time
David for self-solving solutions
To Chris in Molino,
You are either a past guest of the Florida Prison System and have an axe to grind or you are a thug loving liberal, either way, you are dead wrong in your comments. Florida’s correctional system has been under attack by the legislature for years. Gone are the days of safe staffing levels. What toys did we get? I seemed to have missed out on whatever they were giving away….The truth is that nobody really cares about anything to do with jails or prisons until something terrible happens to somebody’s loved one ( and I’m not talking about one of the COs) and the usual cause often has something to do with critical staffing issues.
I don’t agree that 8 hour shifts are better than 12 hour shifts and numerous studies have shown that the staffing requirements are virtually identical, I do feel that the additional officer positions that were requested would go a long way to make the correctional environment safer for both the staff and inmates.
You really want to pass the buck and say that officers should suck it up because law makers and politicians and suits who have never walked a turn didn’t plan for expansion? That’s where you are going to run on this? How about you take on some of these crack addicts who you say shouldn’t be in prison? Or the thieves or con artists who you and other liberals say shouldn’t be in prison. There is no such thing as a victimless crime. You are probably referring to drug offenses causing a rise in prison sentences and population. Get a clue. Even a guy with just a drug charge is responsible for putting money into the machine. A machine that gets kids hooked and turns them into juniors who will steal or hurt someone to find a fix. Or cause a young girl turn trucks to find the next high. Let’s let all these criminals out for the petty stuf as you call it. How many can we put down for delivery at your house? How many will you clothe and feed and provide medical service for while also giving the therapy and drug rehab? Is it safe to assume you are okay with drug dealers pitching a tent in your front yard to alleviate the system? Step up. Don’t let your words ring hollow Chris.
@ chris in Molino
There are very few non violent offenders in prison for their first offense. Most have had conviction after conviction, with each punishment becoming harsher. Most violated probation numerous times, often with new crimes. The fact of the matter is that some people will not learn until they actually have the book thrown at them. Some will never learn and just need to be kept away from society. I know it is easy to say that people caught with “a few pills” don’t deserve jail time, but most drug addicts commit other crimes too. They can’t keep a job, so they have to steal to pay for the drugs. That money funds the dealers in their more violent endeavors.
State law does not allow for people to be sent to prison for misdemeanors. Which means that every person in prison was convicted of felonies. Usually multiple felonies. They are there because they haven’t learned from their “warnings” and “probation.”
@Ron McAndrew,
You can’t possibly be the Ron who ran FSP, killed numerous inmates then turned anti death penalty softie. If you were, you would know that for decades you had the support of lawmakers, governors, and untold dollars to get the latest greatest toys at the yearly prison expos. Sorry, the pendulum has swung the other way from decades of prison expansion. Just like the crash of the housing market where value was inflated then after it adjusted correctly, so goes the fdoc.
Instead of complaining Ron (and EVERY other gaurd), get your teamster rep to lobby the sheriff’s association and states attorney’s to arrest less for minor crap. Lobby lawmakers for something you’ll unlikely get to instead help save money by releasing non violent inmates early. Lobby prosecutors not to give prison time for a few narcotic pills but probation so they can pay money, not cost it.
Step outside the box and stop whining.
Still, waiting for Dan………
It must be a great feeling to work for DOC.
They care so much , just not about their employees .
I agree with Ron.
If the legislators to not wish to support the program, then let them guard these characters themselves.
It must be hell to work in a critical program such as corrections, under the administration of such indifferent legislators.
It’s our politicians that are the very first to stand and give oratory speechifying nasty comments about the shortcomings of the Florida Department of Corrections. Our politicians are staffed to the hilt with cute young folks running for coffee and the like while one single correctional officer supervises 200 dangerous convicted felons. 734 new correctional officer positions won’t correct the shortage of staff in DOC but it would have made life a little safer for correctional officers and inmates. Darn you Rick Scott, don’t you do anything other than grease the tracks for your buds?