Prison News | Florida

• Education & Rehabilitation
• Executions, Death Row, & the Death Penalty
• Gangs in Prison
• Health & Medical Treatment
• Prison Classification, Placement, and Release
• Prison Conditions & Corruption
• Prison Life & Prison Culture
• Riots, Lockdowns & Escapes
• Suicides in Prison
• Workplace & Industry News and Science & Tech

Education & Rehabilitation

• Stetson professors venture to prison to educate inmates
  
  In her first class there, Stetson University associate professor of philosophy Melinda Hall discussed whether it was wrong to lie — a likely thought-provoking choice for her audience, inmates at the Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach.... [ more ]
  Daily Commercial, Thursday, May 16, 2019
  
  
• Pet therapy dog helps incarcerated youth in Miami, first of more to come
  
  MIAMI (AP) - A black lab known as "Justice" is making the rounds at a Miami juvenile detention center as part of a new pilot program to help youth while they are incarcerated.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Wednesday, July 17, 2013
  
  
• Cash cut in model inmate program
  
  The county's lauded treatment plan for the mentally ill loses a quarter of its money. ... [ more ]
  Orlando Sentinel, Thursday, May 31, 2007
  
  

Executions, Death Row & the Death Penalty

• Florida man gets 15 months for threatening to kill Bernie Sanders
  
  (Reuters) - A Florida man was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Friday for threatening to behead U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, federal prosecutors said. ... [ more ]
  reuters.com, Saturday, August 24, 2019
  
  
• Serial killer of gay men Gary Ray Bowles started spree in Daytona, set for Thursday execution
  
  Gary Ray Bowles started his eight-month murderous binge in Daytona Beach by killing John Hardy Roberts on March 14, 1994, inside the victim’s beachside home and now he is set to be the 99th death row inmate executed in Florida in modern times.... [ more ]
  news-journalonline.com, Saturday, August 17, 2019
  
  
• Former Florida Gators football captain charged with murder
  
  CNN)A former captain for the University of Florida football team was arrested and charged with murder on Saturday, making him the second player from that team to be accused of murder.... [ more ]
  CNN, Sunday, June 9, 2019
  
  
• Prosecutors seeking death penalty against rapper YNW Melly in double murder case
  
  Florida state prosecutors filed notice last week of their intent to seek the death penalty in the double murder case against rap artist YNW Melly.... [ more ]
  USA Today, Monday, April 22, 2019
  
  

Gangs in Prison

• Six arrested in Largo gang investigation
  
  LARGO — Six suspected gang members were arrested during a yearlong investigation focusing on gang violence and drug trafficking in Largo, city records show.... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Wednesday, April 23, 2014
  
  
• Opinion: Keeping One Step Ahead of Inmates
  
  It now appears that the forged documents used by two Florida murderers to get out of prison were created by a prison gang. That's what the Florida Department of Law Enforcement told a legislative committee this week as lawmakers began weighing how the criminal justice system might alter processing requirements to prevent future breaches. The revelation of the documents' origin underscores that prison security is always vulnerable to criminal ingenuity, and the real lesson may be the need for much better communication as new risks emerge.... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Friday, November 8, 2013
  
  
• Violent White Supremacist Prison Gang Member Sentenced to More Than Eight Years for Prison Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury
  
  ORLANDO—Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway today sentenced Scott Michael Patrick (48, Portland, Oregon) to eight years and four months in federal prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury. He was found guilty by a federal jury on June 12, 2013. Patrick will begin serving the sentence upon completion of his current federal sentence, which was imposed following a federal conviction for bank robbery. Patrick has been held in isolation due to his violent past and association with a violent white supremacist prison group.... [ more ]
  US Department of Justice, Thursday, September 19, 2013
  
  
• Privatized prison health services leaves public employees out of a job
  
  TALLAHASSEE -- The nation... [ more ]
  Miami Herald, Saturday, June 29, 2013
  
  
• Neo-Nazi Prison Gang Member Sentenced for Selling Pipe Bombs
  
  seven years and three months in federal prison for selling unregistered destructive devices ... [ more ]
  Targeted News Service, Tuesday, May 3, 2011
  
  
• Inmate Charged With Rape, Murder Of Corrections Officer
  
  The Department of Corrections said a prison guard was killed Wednesday at the hands of an inmate at the Tomoka Correctional Institution. ... [ more ]
  Central Florida News , Thursday, June 26, 2008
  
  
• Marion County jail inmate commits suicide
  
  The sheriff's office said Loiacono apparently told other inmates he would kill himself if he got a long prison sentence, but that information was never given to jail authorities. ... [ more ]
  Bradenton Herald , Thursday, June 14, 2007
  
  
• Cash cut in model inmate program
  
  The county's lauded treatment plan for the mentally ill loses a quarter of its money. ... [ more ]
  Orlando Sentinel, Thursday, May 31, 2007
  
  
• Medical Contracting Company Loses Suit In Death Of Inmate
  
  The medical contractor that supplied medical staff for the Everglades Correctional Facility is on the losing end of a $1 million lawsuit, ... [ more ]
  NBC6.net, Tuesday, May 15, 2007
  
  
• Correctional officers to get tasers
  
  According to Cheryl Runyon, chief of budget for the Jacksonville Sheriff... [ more ]
  Jacksonville Daily Record , Monday, May 14, 2007
  
  
• Onstott's Attorney Wants Venue Change In Slaying Trial
  
  Attorneys representing David Lee Onstott, who is charged with murder and attempted rape, contend ... [ more ]
  The Tampa Tribune, Tuesday, January 9, 2007
  
  
• Bail Cut In Latin Kings Racketeering Case
  
  A judge on Tuesday reduced the bail requirement for a man accused of being the No. 2 state leader of the Latin Kings.... [ more ]
  The Tampa Tribune, Wednesday, January 3, 2007
  
  
• Our view: Going after gangs
  
  Watch out for the Bloods in Palm Bay and the south end of Brevard County.... [ more ]
  Florida Today, Wednesday, December 27, 2006
  
  
• Accused Gangster's Pen Pal Sees A Side Few Others Do
  
  ... [ more ]
  Tampa Tribune, Thursday, December 14, 2006
  
  
• Sur 13 member Smiley AKA Saul Trejo killed
  
  in Westgate, Florida, early Sunday morning. After being arrested for the alleged killings of Trejo and another man, suspect Norman Borden Jr.'s house was burned down near West Palm Beach.... [ more ]
  Topix, Sunday, September 10, 2006
  
  

Health & Medical Treatment

• Inmate�s beating, lack of medical attention, deleted video raises unanswered questions
  
  When Gordon Hunter Shutt was arrested in Neptune Beach for driving on a suspended driver’s license, he figured he be processed out of jail in downtown Jacksonville in no time and with no problems.... [ more ]
  www.jacksonville.com, Saturday, July 13, 2019
  
  
• After grant denial, many Collier inmates still lack medication-assisted treatment for opioid addictions
  
  Collier County efforts to help curb Florida’s growing opioid problem hit a roadblock earlier this month when a team of local agencies was turned down for a grant that would have helped create a treatment model for county jail inmates.... [ more ]
  Naples Daily News, Wednesday, May 22, 2019
  
  
• Hepatitis C ruling could add millions to Florida prison health costs
  
  TALLAHASSEE — The state may have to pay millions of dollars more in treatment costs for inmates infected with hepatitis C, following a federal judge’s ruling that said prison officials have been “deliberately indifferent” in caring for thousands of inmates infected with the virus.... [ more ]
  Orlando Sentinel, Friday, April 19, 2019
  
  
• New letter warns jail inmates of overdose risks after release
  
  SPRINGFIELD — The Clark County Sheriff’s Department and Clark County Coroner’s Office have teamed up on a new program that warns inmates about the dangers of drugs after their bodies have detoxed while they’ve been held in the Clark County Jail.... [ more ]
  Daytona Daily News, Saturday, April 5, 2014
  
  
• HEALTH CARE A PRICEY NECESSITY IN JAILS; In Hillsborough County, medical treatment for inmates eats up 6 percent of the Sheriff's Office budget.
  
  The inmate in the red jumpsuit and handcuffs leaned back in a recliner, ready for his twice-weekly round of dialysis. A technician had arrived at the Hillsborough County jail just for this man, a felon in town on appeal. In a nearby room, a ...... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Sunday, July 7, 2013
  
  
• Privatized prison health services leaves public employees out of a job
  
  TALLAHASSEE -- The nation... [ more ]
  Miami Herald, Saturday, June 29, 2013
  
  
• Florida: Court Allows State To Privatize Prisons' Health Care
  
  The First District Court of Appeals is giving the state's prison agency the green light to privatize health care services. The court ruled Wednesday that a lower court judge was wrong to block plans for outsourcing in three of Florida's ...... [ more ]
  New York Times, Thursday, June 6, 2013
  
  
• Medical Contracting Company Loses Suit In Death Of Inmate
  
  The medical contractor that supplied medical staff for the Everglades Correctional Facility is on the losing end of a $1 million lawsuit, ... [ more ]
  NBC6.net, Tuesday, May 15, 2007
  
  

Prison Classification, Placement, & Release

• British death row inmate could be freed after 33 years as lawyers reveal new evidence 'that proves his innocence'
  
  A British man, who has spent 33 years imprisoned in the US – 10 of them on death row – could be freed after judges agreed to hear an appeal that lawyers claim will prove his innocence.... [ more ]
  independent.co.uk, Saturday, January 4, 2020
  
  
• Jesse Wegman: Will Florida kill an innocent man?
  
  For more than three decades, James Dailey, a Vietnam War veteran, has been sitting on Florida’s death row, condemned to die for the brutal 1985 murder of a teenager named Shelly Boggio.... [ more ]
  The Register Guard, Tuesday, December 31, 2019
  
  
• After sexual assault at Florida teen prison, state awards firm $16M deal
  
  The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice signed a $16 million contract last month with a private youth prison company facing a string of troubles in the last year, including official findings of “substantial evidence” of child abuse by its staff.... [ more ]
  Florida Phoenix, Tuesday, March 19, 2019
  
  
• Florida DOC launches inmate deaths website
  
  Inmate Bryan Kendzia called his mother from Okeechobee Correctional Institution on May 13– hours before he slashed himself with razor blades. Within two days, he was dead as a result of an apparent suicide.

  Sketchy details about Kendzia’s death and those of several other inmates are now available online as part of Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Michael Crews’ effort to give the public a behind-the-scenes glimpse when prisoners die.... [ more ]

  Palm Beach Daily Business Review, Thursday, September 11, 2014
  
  
• INDIO: New jail would have classrooms, video visits -- The detention center, scheduled to open by 2017, will ease crowding that has led to early release of thousands of inmates.
  
  Those are some of the features planned for the East County Detention Center. The $274 million project, centerpiece of a $400 million infusion of new public buildings in Indio, has yet to break ground but is expected to open by early 2017.... [ more ]
  Orange County Register, Friday, July 4, 2014
  
  
• Prison cost-cutting measures putting inmates to work
  
  TALLAHASSEE -- Inmates are sewing their own clothes and will soon start washing dishes by hand in sinks they’ve built themselves.... [ more ]
  Palm Beach Daily Business Review, Wednesday, September 25, 2013
  
  
• With Severe Budget Deficits, Florida DJJ May Be Forced to Close Several Facilities
  
  Facing a budget shortfall to the tune of $54.5 million, Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) may end up closing some detention centers to cover its losses.... [ more ]
  Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, Monday, August 19, 2013
  
  
• John Romano: Time to take a hard look at state minimum mandatory sentences, too
  
  We are good. We are very, very good. When it comes to identifying, apprehending, trying and convicting criminals, the state of Florida takes a back seat to virtually no one.... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Tuesday, August 13, 2013
  
  
• Easing strict prison terms a 'tough sell' in Florida
  
  The Obama administration's policy changes Monday aimed at reducing prison spending and fostering what some officials say is more fairness in the criminal justice system have their supporters in Florida.... [ more ]
  Palm Beach Post, Tuesday, August 13, 2013
  
  
• Ruth: Is it work-release or hide-and-seek?
  
  Considering that the eternally flummoxed Sgt. Schultz was a more eagle-eyed custodian of his prisoners than Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, it's curious that the Florida Department of Corrections would renew yet another contract with the ...... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Friday, July 5, 2013
  
  
• CAN A CONVICTED FELON RUN FOR CONGRESS FROM JAIL?
  
  By day, Stephen Nodine works at a law office in Bay Minette, Ala. By night, he is an inmate at the Baldwin County Jail where he is serving a two-year sentence for perjury. This would be of little interest except Nodine says he might want to run for Congress and represent Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Tuesday, June 25, 2013
  
  

Prison Conditions & Corruption

• The Future Of Prison Reform In Florida
  
  Attempts to reform the way criminals are sentenced and how much time they spend behind bars have made... [ more ]
  WLRN Miami | Sout Florida, Sunday, February 10, 2019
  
  
• Two more inmates dead at Lowell Correctional Institution
  
  Two inmates at Lowell Correctional Institution, a women’s prison north of Ocala, have died in the past week.

  So far this month, three women have died at LCI.

  Jessica Cary, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections, identified the inmates as 80-year-old Jane C. Taylor, who died at 2:22 a.m. Monday, and 48-year-old Michelle Tierney, who died at 9:20 a.m. Thursday.... [ more ]

  StarBanner.com, Tuesday, October 14, 2014
  
  
• Activists urge Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation not to invest in Boca Raton-based private prison firm GEO Group
  
  Armed with 10,000 signatures, a coalition of 27 advocacy groups is petitioning the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to stop investing in Geo Group Inc. — and not seek profits from the Boca Raton-based private prison and detention company in the future.... [ more ]
  Palm Beach Post, Thursday, April 10, 2014
  
  
• Human rights accusations against GEO Group immigration detention centers
  
  Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

  BOCA RATON — Human rights activists staged a protest Monday outside the gated community of the president of a private prison company, expressing their solidarity with hunger strikers currently being held in private immigration detention centers.... [ more ]

  Palm Beach Post, Tuesday, March 25, 2014
  
  
• Florida immigrants decry detention quota
  
  WASHINGTON — Every day, hundreds of immigrants suspected of living in the country illegally are held behind bars in Florida, part of a controversial crackdown that helps fill a federal detention-bed quota.

  Critics call the quota a boondoggle that benefits privately run prisons and spreads anguish through immigrant communities. Defenders say it compels federal officials to enforce immigration law and discourages illegal migration.... [ more ]

  Sun Sentinel, Saturday, March 22, 2014
  
  
• Investigation confirms DeSoto jailer beat inmate
  
  DeSOTO COUNTY DESOTO JAIL: Federal grand jury is meeting this week about the case A De-Soto County jailer told internal affairs investigators he did not report a colleague for abusing former inmate Jody Holland because he is not a "snitch."... [ more ]
  Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Friday, August 9, 2013
  
  
• Miami-Dade Police investigate death of inmate in county's psychiatric jail ward
  
  MIAMI (AP) - Miami-Dade Police are investigating the death of an inmate in the county's psychiatric jail ward. Joaquin Cairo died July 9 after being rushed to a Miami hospital for surgery. He had complained to court officials the previous ...... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Sunday, July 28, 2013
  
  
• PARAMEDICS FAULTED IN DEATH; A review finds that Allen Hicks should have been hospitalized for a stroke, not jailed.
  
  Tampa man, Allen Daniel Hicks Sr, who died from a stroke that went untreated at Hillsborough County jails should never have been incarcerated, but instead taken to a medical facility, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue officials concluded in a review of the ...... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Thursday, July 25, 2013
  
  
• SHERIFF: ERROR LED TO KILLING; Gualtieri says the victim shouldn't have been in a cell with a murder suspect.
  
  A homeless man killed inside the Pinellas County Jail was not supposed to occupy the same cell with the inmate who ultimately choked him by shoving toilet paper down his throat, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Monday.... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Tuesday, July 23, 2013
  
  
• Florida Panhandle inmate heading to work detail dies when van flips over
  
  CRESTVIEW, Fla. (AP) - An inmate going out on a work crew was killed when the van he was riding in flipped into a ditch. The Florida Department of Corrections reports that 50-year-old Lawrence Houze was riding with five other inmates Friday ...... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Friday, July 12, 2013
  
  
• INMATE PLANNED ATTACK; The man accused of beating his cell mate to death had blamed it on a fit of rage.
  
  A Pinellas County man accused of murdering his cell mate last year at Zephyrhills Correctional Institution said he beat and stomped the man in a fit of rage because he had bragged about molesting a child.... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Wednesday, July 10, 2013
  
  

Prison Life & Culture

• Prison guard had complaints before inmate was beaten
  
  OCALA — One of the guards accused of beating a female inmate so severely she was left paralyzed has previously been accused of trading cigarettes for sex, insubordination, harassing inmates for their religious beliefs and kissing and groping them.... [ more ]
  keysnews.com, Monday, November 4, 2019
  
  
• Prison Guard Accused Of Beating of Female Florida Inmate!
  
  A newly promoted guard on the largest girls’ jail in Florida who purportedly beat a female inmate so badly in August that she was left paralyzed from the neck down had a historical past of complaints lodged in opposition to him by different inmates who declare he physically and bodily harassed them.... [ more ]
  thedigitalwise.com, Sunday, November 3, 2019
  
  
• Florida Inmate Uses Smuggled Cellphone To Capture Beating
  
  A prison inmate used a smuggled cellphone to shoot video of several guards punching an inmate who was being held on the ground and the Florida Department of Corrections is now investigating.... [ more ]
  miami.cbslocal.com, Wednesday, July 17, 2019
  
  
• Cleared of murder, man starts fresh 24 years later
  
  The weeks since have been a mix of emotional highs and practical frustrations. He spent an evening as a VIP guest at a boxing match and slept that night on a cousin's couch. He marveled at strangers donating thousands of dollars to help him, but doesn't yet have a place of his own.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Thursday, April 24, 2014
  
  
• SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED NO MORE; Starting Sept. 1 the Hillsborough County jail system will limit incoming inmate mail to postcards.
  
  For jail inmates, letters are links to the outside. Their precious pages contain kids' drawings, medical updates, confessions of love. - They are birthday cards and Christmas cards, reminders that another life exists. - In Hillsborough...... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Sunday, August 18, 2013
  
  
• 'High risk inmate' rearrested after punching deputy in lobby of southwest Florida jail
  
  FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - A man being released from a southwest Florida jail was rearrested after authorities say he punched the deputy who was releasing him.... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Thursday, July 11, 2013
  
  

Riots, Lockdowns & Escapes

• Inmate Gets 2nd Death Sentence for Killing Fellow Inmate
  
  PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prison inmate already on death row for killing a fellow inmate has received another death sentence for killing a different inmate.... [ more ]
  US.News, Wednesday, November 20, 2019
  
  
• Inmate killed during gang riot at massive Coleman prison just outside The Villages
  
  An inmate was killed late Sunday morning during a battle between rival gangs at a maximum-security federal prison that’s nestled on the outskirts of the newest sections of The Villages.... [ more ]
  villages-news.com, Tuesday, November 12, 2019
  
  
• Long simmering clash between Black and white inmates at federal prison leaves one dead
  
  A longstanding racial rivalry at a federal prison in Florida turned deadly over the weekend after an inmate was stabbed to death while several others were transported to the hospital.... [ more ]
  thegrio.com, Tuesday, August 6, 2019
  
  
• Sheriff: Lee County inmate attacks officers
  
  TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - A Lee County jail inmate attacked jail officers, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Department.... [ more ]
  www.wtva.com, Monday, July 1, 2019
  
  
• Riot sparked by bet at Avon Park juvenile center
  
  Three Cup O' Noodle soup servings were at the heart of a riot that destroyed 18 buildings, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage at a Highlands County juvenile detention facility Saturday night.... [ more ]
  Tampa Tribune, Sunday, August 18, 2013
  
  
• Violent Attack in Jail Transport Van
  
  After being arrested at a resort Saturday night, an intoxicated man kicked another inmate on the way to the Pinellas County Jail, causing life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Leonard David Lanni Jr., 36, of St. Pete Beach was drunk ...... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Monday, July 8, 2013
  
  

Suicides in Prison

• Inmate at Florida Panhandle jail dead from apparent suicide
  
  PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - An inmate at a Florida Panhandle jail is dead from a suspected suicide. The Bay County Sheriff's Office reports that 32-year-old Robert Charles Batty Jr. was found dead in his cell Tuesday night. He appeared to have ...... [ more ]
  Associated Press, Thursday, June 27, 2013
  
  
• Marion County jail inmate commits suicide
  
  The sheriff's office said Loiacono apparently told other inmates he would kill himself if he got a long prison sentence, but that information was never given to jail authorities. ... [ more ]
  Bradenton Herald , Thursday, June 14, 2007
  
  

Workplace & Industry News, and Science & Tech News

• Florida Fires 13 Prison Employees In Crackdown
  
  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — State prison officials did some major house cleaning this week, firing a total of 13 people, in the wake of widespread abuse allegations.

  The Florida Department of Corrections on Friday announced the dismissal of three officers and two sergeants for punching and kicking a prisoner at Lancaster Correctional Institution.... [ more ]

  Associated Press, Friday, September 12, 2014
  
  
• Marshall University Forensic Science DNA analyst presents property crimes research
  
  HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Season E. Seferyn, M.S.F.S., a Parentage DNA analyst at the Marshall University Forensic Science Center, presented findings from a property crimes project at a conference sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

  The presentation titled, “A Comparison of 1,600 Property Crime Cases from Miami, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina,” addressed findings from DNA test results of evidentiary items recovered from crime scenes from each jurisdiction.... [ more ]

  US Fed News, Friday, February 7, 2014
  
  
• Corrections union files complaint against state over holidays
  
  The state is trying to illegally take away time off from corrections officers, according to a complaint filed by the workers' union. Teamsters Local 2011, a union representing 17,000 employees of the Department of Corrections, filed the ...... [ more ]
  Palm Beach Daily Business Review, Monday, July 8, 2013
  
  
• VIOLATION TO COST PRISON SYSTEM $600K; The state strikes a deal with the Labor Department to give 710 workers back pay or time off.
  
  Florida's prison system, grappling with a chronic budget deficit, must give $600,000 in money or extra time off to hundreds of workers who were not paid while they were on duty.... [ more ]
  Tampa Bay Times, Thursday, June 13, 2013
  
  
• Inmate Charged With Rape, Murder Of Corrections Officer
  
  The Department of Corrections said a prison guard was killed Wednesday at the hands of an inmate at the Tomoka Correctional Institution. ... [ more ]
  Central Florida News , Thursday, June 26, 2008
  
  
• Correctional officers to get tasers
  
  According to Cheryl Runyon, chief of budget for the Jacksonville Sheriff... [ more ]
  Jacksonville Daily Record , Monday, May 14, 2007