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Florida Prison Visitation Changes Spark Outcry
June 1, 2018
Tearful, angry and resentful family members of Florida inmates pleaded Thursday with state corrections officials to abandon proposed changes to visitation rules that could cut in half the amount of time they are able to spend with locked-up loved ones.
The Department of Corrections is proposing a change that would allow the agency to limit prison visits — which can now take place on Saturday and Sunday, in addition to holidays — to every other weekend. Under the proposed rule, changes to the “standard” visitation schedule would be implemented on a prison-by-prison basis and would be based on a variety of factors, such as staffing shortages and the amount of contraband being sneaked into the institutions.
The proposal eased off an original plan, floated last month, which could have allowed corrections officials to impose the reduced visitation schedule throughout the prison system and reduce the current six-hour daily visitation period to two hours.
But the modifications did not eliminate the concerns of dozens of people who urged corrections officials to drop the plan during a hearing about the proposed rule Thursday,
“I really don’t want my visits or anyone’s visits to be taken,” 11-year-old Cody Calhoun told prison officials, saying he “will be devastated” if the change goes into effect. “Why would you even take them away? I mean, they’re already having a bad enough time in prison. Why would you make it worse? Please. I need to see my dad on the weekends. … I love playing with him and it brings me closer to him.”
Families and prison-reform experts pointed to research showing that face-to-face visits play a significant role in reducing recidivism and assisting ex-inmates to re-enter society when they are released. The critics also relied on studies showing that visitors are responsible for just a fraction of the illicit items, such as cigarettes and cell phones, brought into prisons.
But Richard Comerford, assistant deputy secretary of institutions for the Department of Corrections, said those concerns, and others, were taken into consideration when corrections officials modified the proposed visitation changes, which would only go into effect if needed.
“We’ll evaluate that visitation schedule based on institutional security, staffing, safety and security of the inmates, visitors and staff, the maximum capacity of these parks, the numbers of visitors and the frequency of contraband that’s introduced into our facilities,” he said.
Lawmakers placed such a value on visitation that it is included in a state law, which says that “maintaining an inmate’s family and community relationships through enhancing visitor services and programs and increasing the frequency and quality of the visits is an underutilized correctional resource that can improve an inmate’s behavior in the correctional facility and, upon an inmate’s release from a correctional facility, will help to reduce recidivism.”
If there are barriers or deficiencies regarding visitation, the law also requires the corrections secretary to submit budget requests “identifying capital improvements, staffing, and programmatic needs necessary to improve the quality and frequency of family visits and the visitation program and services.”
Prison officials are also responsible for “protecting society and citizens at large,” Department of Corrections lawyer Gregory Hill said at the onset of Thursday’s hearing.
“It’s with these two competing goals that the department has to compose these rules, and that’s what the department’s strived to do in revising and revamping the rule that’s been presented and will be presented here today,” he said.
But sharply reducing the time inmates can spend with their loved ones could put the public at risk, many of the speakers warned. Apart from committing more crimes when they are released, the reduction in visitation could lead inmates to riot, some cautioned.
Heather Walker said her “baby brother” has served five years of a life sentence.
“These visits are all that he has to look forward to. Decreasing them, taking them away, is no way going to help him,” a tearful Walker, who said she has another brother who is a corrections officer, said. “If this was your brother, this was your child, would you put these same standards into the law?”
About 100 people showed up for the hearing, including several who said they were traveling more than 16 hours round-trip to be able to speak.
Jodi Chambers-Wilson, whose son is in prison, said even more family members would have appeared but for the reason she kept silent on prison-related matters for seven years.
“Fear of retaliation. Period. Point blank,” an angry Chambers-Wilson said, reminding prison officials that the law requires them to encourage visitation.
“I birthed him, and I am allowed to visit him because the state Legislature says it is your responsibility to facilitate it. Let me be a mother to my son,” she said, receiving a standing ovation from the audience members.
The corrections agency — which houses 90,000 inmates — has been chronically underfunded and is currently running a budget deficit of nearly $80 million. Agency officials attribute about a third of the deficit to spending on contracts with private health-care companies and increases in the costs of prescription drugs.
The agency also is struggling with staffing shortages.
The corrections department is offering $1,000 hiring bonuses at 18 of Florida’s 50 state-run institutions, according to the department’s website. The bonuses are being offered at facilities that are at least 10 percent below desired staffing levels, agency spokeswoman Michelle Glady said in an interview.
But until the proposed rule is finalized, Glady said it’s impossible to know what the staffing standards would be to spark the “modified” visitation schedule.
“No one would argue that visitation isn’t valuable, that the family connections aren’t important, that having those connections contributes to the reduction of recidivism,” Glady said. “In-person visitation is very important, but we have to balance the security of the institution, and that’s why the rule outlines when we would have to go to a more modified schedule.”
Beth Gammie, a lawyer who has spent two decades representing people seeking clemency or parole, warned that the rule could be challenged because it fails to specify that the schedule would be modified if the frequency of contraband brought into a facility increases is due to visitors, “because that is apparently what you are trying to get at.”
After the meeting, Gammie said the biggest issue with the proposed rule is the modified visitation schedule.
“That’s clearly what they’ve been wanting all along,” Gammie said, referring to the corrections department. “They know that visitation is positive. So this whole rulemaking effort, which they would only do if they want to change the present practice, they’re either ignoring that or it’s not mattering that much to them.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Comments
30 Responses to “Florida Prison Visitation Changes Spark Outcry”
Great spin
REGARDING:
“if I remember right you give up your rights the second you commit a crime.”
Not really. Even if convicted, you have the right to not face cruel and unusual punishment.
You have the right to not be forced to confess. You have the right to an attorney. You have the right to adequate health care, to food and clothing and shelter, to speech and religion, to be free from discrimination. They are not allowed to torture you. (That was why President Bush wanted to keep prisoners in Cuba, so he could lawfully torture them. The Supreme Court said he couldn’t even do it there. That made the prison there a waste of money.) Punishment can’t be excessive for the crimes you committed.
These rights are not always respected.
David for truth
Sorry but it’s kind of hard to feel bad for someone when they make the choice to break the law and have to deal with the consequences. If not seeing there family is such a big issue maybe they should have made better choices. And if I remember right you give up your rights the second you commit a crime.
REGARDING:
“folks who are on supervision and probation have violent crime and drug crime at about 25% which means that once somebody interfaces with this system it is the dopes and mopes who are refilling our prisons”
Nope.
Supervision and probation means they are NOT in prison. It doesn’t mean they will automatically return. And those who are in prison are still above 50 percent. You can not have 55.6 percent violent and 50 percent nonviolent. Check any math book.
David for truth and numeracy
Michelle Henderson….access to high end clothing? The incarcerated should be happy to see whomever makes the effort of their time and money to come spend time with them. They don’t “need” high end clothing.
Unbelievable. How can they take away a person’s rights gaurenteed by the Constitution. Cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited by law. Denying inmates to be able to see their families is cruel and unusual. They need this to be able to see that they can change and do better in society. Inmates need to be able to have the access to high end clothing and meals inside prison. It will help them rehabilitate and see that they have something good to live for. We need to advocate for change and demand governor Scott provide high end materials to inmates. I don’t mind paying more taxes for better care.
50% non violent folks filling up the prisons, and if you look at the so called facts in the link you see the volume of folks who are on supervision and probation have violent crime and drug crime at about 25% which means that once somebody interfaces with this system it is the dopes and mopes who are refilling our prisons as violent criminals have cart blanch on our neighborhoods. Stupid is what stupid does. Children being denied visitation with their fathers is brilliant……there must be a brain trust at the state where they have a dart board with sanctions they can put on inmates to make politicians and the lynch mob happy…….throw the dart and land on take children visitation with their imprisoned fathers…..yea that is the ticket…….and I think there is a category on the dart board which says treat them like they live in Angola……brilliant.
When I was in Angola — the country, not the prison — the people were allowed to visit their inmates daily. They brought meals for them to eat.
I asked didn’t the government feed them?
Yes, but only fish heads and rice. If they wanted more, they needed a loved one to bring it.
Unless they REALLY liked fish heads and rice, they were VERY careful to be VERY nice.
It was interesting.
David for rice and being nice
REGARDING:
“Half the people in prison are NOT violent criminals, but are dopes and mopes with serious addiction problems.”
Nearly true. 55.6% for violent offenses as of November 30, 2017.
Drug related: 14.3% rather than 50% (usually in the form of organized crime in distribution. dhg)
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/Quickfacts.html
Let their families pay whatever it costs to let them stay with their beloved felons and let them stay with them forever if they wish. And if they don’t, let the felons understand their loved ones opted to not stay rather than making the state the bad guy.
Let’s be honest about their crimes, though.
David for extended stays with murderers and rapists
Oh boohoo! Prison is punishment, not a daycare center. Raise your kids to respect the law instead of teaching them to hate and fear cops maybe they won’t go to prison.
Don’t go to prison.
Your family can see you easier the way they want.
Intelligence is important. Somebody is sneaking contraband into prisons. Catch them. Nope. We choose to punish eight year old kids who want to see their father. Brilliant. Half the people in prison are NOT violent criminals, but are dopes and mopes with serious addiction problems. Unless we want to use the entire taxpayer budget to house these folks, it might be intelligent to come up with plans on how we can keep people out of prison. Depriving innocent families and children explains exactly why the folks who are making decisions lack intelligence. To all of you who want to further punish people in prison……please do it on your dime…..we taxpayers have had enough of stupid.
Sad,. We need justice system reform. Many of the folks in prison are young folks who got caught up in drugs and drinking with friends etc….. Except by the grace of God, there go I. Many have sentences less than 5 years and once you are in the system it is very difficult to get out. They get you you on probation with continual fees/ fines/ retribution and bamm! Violation! o
@Michelle: You speak wise words from the heart. I am sorry your brother went through what he did (and any victims, too) and cut his life short. There is a reason the saw is written the way it is, and it is up to gov’ts to make sure the visitations are preserved. Thank you for taking time to so eloquently express your thoughts. God bless you.
It is a shame that the prisoners are in prison. They are not out trying to work and better themselves because they did something so wrong. This is why people need to think before they get their rights taken away. It is a triple shame that the CO’s have to put up with being assaulted.
Getting in with the “wrong” people is part of knowing right from wrong.. It’s also blaming others for your actions.. My circle is so small it’s more like a dot..
I’m sure some of these people were good parents and the kids went south on their own. But it is prison, not adult daycare. What state law encourages visiting prisoners?
This is insane! The “poor me” saga after the fact! Most families have very understood rules. You get yourself in trouble with the law, do not call home to get bailed out and do not come home if a friend bails you out as you no longer have a home. Guess how often I have to visit a relative in prison?
If they spent more time teaching them right from wrong they wouldn’t have that problem. Need to start charging for visitation time, by the hour.
prison needs to be prison, not a resort.
the public is not going to look on any favorable treatment of prisoners. we think too many criminals are walking the streets now.
Paul. I saw one of those cons mommas complain about not seeing her son often enough. If she spent more time teaching him right from wrong she wouldn’t have that problem..
You can show your child the right path, but, you can’t make him take it. Let me tell ya a little something. Out parents reared us correctly… My brother got in with one wrong person and spent 8 years the Mississippi Prison system. We only saw him 3 times a year until I moved to Mississippi and was able to see him every other weekend.
It helps, most of their mental health, being able to see family members. I carried no contraband in. I sat on the grass for hours talking to him and cried almost all the way home because I had to leave him there.
My brother, on the other hand, had issues and being in prison did make them worse. He turned into a paranoid schizophrenic. He was out a year and a have and took his life.
Until you have a family member serving time, you all can say condescending comments about they shouldn’t be there. THEY ARE THERE! And they are humans needing their family!
There are 2-3 victims to every person in prison. The prisoner, their family and the victim of the crime of there was one.
Sorry for the rant, but, it just really hit a spot in my heart.
God bless you all and have a great day.
Pretty simple concept going on here. If you want to be treated better, stay out of jail. These parents who are complaining would have been better off teaching their kids life lessons early instead of them all of the sudden interested in their kids AFTER they go to jail. Yes people make mistakes and yes, jails are horrid places but that’s the reason they’re jails. It’s PUNISHMENT for not being a decent member of society. Do the crime, do the time. No visits, no big deal. Stay out next time.
I agree
Its called prison folks.Its easy to stay out.
I saw one of those cons mommas complain about not seeing her son often enough. If she spent more time teaching him right from wrong she wouldn’t have that problem..
I have a great solution, stay out of jail and you won’t have this problem, and yes I’ve had loved ones in prison before.
Simple solution, stay out of prison. Problem solved.
vote out the people that are trying to take away visit rights for jails. If you really want to integrate people back into society, why do they constantly try to take that away from them? I’m sure they are going to start charging for meetings because they dont care about people, they care about profit and jails are a big business
Its easy to stay out of prison, don’t break the laws that will get you put there. There are two groups that suffer from criminal action 1) the actual victims and their loved ones and 2)The criminals family and loved ones. This is a story of victims suffering not the criminal behind bars.
Of course loved ones are upset, there is no easy answer, but it is PRISON those that have been convicted and jailed should have thought of the loved ones they selfishly ignored when they made the choices they did that put them there. The burden that the incarcerated have placed on family members is a terrible thing.
Prison officials, DOC officers and staff should not have to be a hostage in their positions for fear of retaliation by those incarcerated if visiting hours are reduced again its PRISON. God forbid a criminals rights be violated. Non violent crimes should be considered in the review of visitation rules. There is not one mention of the victims rights with regard to crimes committed against them or their loved ones.
Its all about the convicts and their rights. They should have thought about their families and loved ones before they broke the law and got sent to PRISON. Now their own family members are victims of their unlawful acts. Its PRISON shut up do your time pay your debt to society, treat your loved ones like they really mean something to you quit making them pay for your misdeeds. Thank your lucky stars you are not incarcerated in some country that your life expectancy is in jeopardy all of the time. 3 hots, a cot, medical care, free education, cable tv – yea poor, poor criminals they got it real bad.