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Age For Florida Correctional Officers Reduced To 18
June 19, 2019
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a law that allows 18-year old corrections officers in Florida.
The minimum age for a corrections officer in Florida is currently 19. The 18-year old minimum goes into effect July 1 not only to the state prison system, but in county jails in an effort to solve staffing issues.
In addition, the bill bans the use of drones near and over near county, state and private correctional facilities and juvenile detention centers to help decrease the amount of contrand introduced into the facilities.
Pictured: Inside a prisoner dorm at Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Comments
16 Responses to “Age For Florida Correctional Officers Reduced To 18”
An 18 year old can serve in combat
Thousands of them have given their lives over the years
Didn’t Rick Scott sign into law the age to own a firearm as 21?
When the law doesn’t apply to those who write them, you aren’t being governed, you’re being ruled
I think it will depend on which jobs the younger CO’s are assigned to. I would agree if they are put on the front lines right out of the box with some time to mature and learn to handle themselves, the results will probably be less than desired.
As far as the gym, swimming pool, pool table, golf course comment, I am pretty confident those don’t exist in the FDOC prison system.
No way. First of all an 18 year old in most cases does not listen to an adult so he can’t talk to him in a adult manner. Next Inmates are the best actors in the world and have you believing anything they tell you. Next the word convict prefix con should tell you enough from the beginnin.Inmates look for weak and gullible staff , find a common bond and use it to their advantage. I Know all this to be true retired after 20 plus years. Fifteen of those as a training instructor and mentor for rookie officers.
18 is young, but we send 18 year olds to war, so.
What a dumb idea! What were they thinking in Tallahassee? Oh, wow. Just wow.
No matter how we look at this, it’s not a good idea. I always think of 18 yr olds as babies. They have no experience with hardened prisoners.
The age doesn’t really matter. I worked Century CI for over twenty years. I saw some sorry older officers and some sorry younger officers. I also worked with really good older and younger officers. It’s all about the character of the person. And the character doesn’t change just because you got a job in the prison.
@Retired good job bud trying to derail this forum and make it about prisoner rights when it is obviously about the age requirements of the guards being lowered. That lower age requirement is a very stupid solution to a very serious problem like throwing gasoline on a fire to put it out.
I was a corrections officer with the Harrison county Mississippi Jail years ago,back the the salary for an officer was I think $23,000 a year start.Even that wasn’t enough to recruit and keep staff,we was heavily under staffed. I loved my job but I was not working under the stress of not having enough help to watch my back.
@Mel
Which local correctional facility has a pool and a golf course?
@ mel
prisoners should lose a lot of their rights and should have to work doing something, pay for their own medical like they did outside of prison (that is a joke). not go to the gym, play pool, swim, golf, ETC. IT IS NOT A COUNTRY CLUB
@Mel… very well said I totally agree
Raising wages would be better than lowering standards. They’re just asking for more problems.
This is not a good idea. Responsible enough to be a correctional officer but can’t even buy a beer. The only reason I can think of right now is the State can’t get enough folks signing up for the job. I was a officer for 10 years and this is a very BAD idea. Officer should be paid more and prisoners shouldn’t have more rights than the folks working around them
Let’s just think this over for a moment. ……….
You wanna take “ Adults “ fresh out of high school and put them in charge of the most manipulative and dangerous people at least in the state of Florida. Umh… no!