ORLANDO — A federal judge has ruled that a 2011 law requiring welfare applicants to undergo drug tests is unconstitutional, striking a blow to Gov. Rick Scott’s administration over the controversial tests. Scott quickly said he would appeal U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven’sTuesday ruling, the latest defeat for the governor in a drawn-out battle over […]
Florida Law on Drug Tests for Welfare Is Struck Down
KEY WEST, Fla. — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down as unconstitutional a Florida law that required welfare applicants to undergo mandatory drug testing, setting the stage for a legal battle that could affect similar efforts nationwide. Judge Mary S. Scriven of the United States District Court in Orlando held that the testing requirement, […]
Federal lawsuit: St. Lucie County Jail’s postcard-only mail policy is unconstitutional
A new federal lawsuit is challenging the mail policy for inmates at a county jail in South Florida. According to the lawsuit, the jail’s policy requiring all incoming and outgoing mail to fit on a postcard-size letter is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed against St. Lucie County Sheriff Kenneth J. Mascara in the Southern District […]
FJI Executive Director Randall C. Berg Quoted in Article On History of Civil Rights Restoration
Dan Gelber says Charlie Crist got automatic restoration of felon rights for 1st time in Florida history As former Gov. Charlie Crist tries to gain supporters in his quest to unseat Republican Gov. Rick Scott, he wants to portray himself as the hero of voter access and Scott as a leader who restricted voting. Dan […]
Justice Watch: Prison Legal News Is Filing, Winning Federal Lawsuits
The October issue of Prison Legal News contained one story entitled, “How many inmate deaths is too many?” Another article addressed a Justice Department investigation into widespread sexual abuse in Alabama women’s prisons by male guards, while another took a look at what led to a mentally ill prisoner in Illinois to die on a […]
Prison system opens ‘re-entry’ center
HAVANA — The head of Florida’s prison system ran the numbers Tuesday on how a new approach to inmate “re-entry” will save taxpayers money by breaking the cycle of crime and punishment, then said the initiative would be worthwhile even without the fiscal considerations. “It does save money,” Department of Corrections Secretary Michael Crews said […]
FJI Files Lawsuit Against St. Lucie County Jail Over Post-Card Only Policy
Attorneys for FJI, on behalf of Prison Legal News (PLN), have filed a lawsuit against the St. Lucie County Sheriff over the Sheriff’s recently adopted policy that prohibits people incarcerated in the St. Lucie County jail from receiving any mail other than postcards. The policy also prohibits inmates from receiving any books or magazines through […]
Miami’s Homeless Could Lose Some Rights If Judge Agrees with Settlement
Miami’s homeless, who since 1998 have benefitted from special life-sustaining privileges not afforded most residents, will lose some of those exceptions if a federal judge signs off on an agreement reached by the city of Miami and the American Civil Liberties Union. No longer will the homeless be allowed to set fires in parks to […]
Senate Panel Passes Bill Aimed At Helping Florida’s Ex-Inmates Get Free ID Cards
A group of Florida senators unanimously passed a bill Monday that aims to make life easier for ex-inmates upon their release from prison. Upon their release from prison, Altamonte Springs Republican Senator David Simmons says it’s difficult for many inmates to get an ID card. And, he says making it easier would lower recidivism. Under […]
FJI Seeks to Vindicate Religious Rights By Ensuring Incarcerated Muslims Receive Halaal Meals
Back in 2007, FJI filed a lawsuit on behalf of several incarcerated Muslims who sought a halaal meal to comply with their religious dietary requirements. The FDOC refused to provide a halaal meal, even though they were providing kosher meals to Jewish inmates. The FDOC eventually decided, in the middle of the case, to eliminate […]
A Battle for Fair Housing Still Raging, But Mostly Forgotten
It’s not something we think about a lot or something that gets reported on often, but once you start digging around some, it’s hard not to see the consequences of our country’s long, sordid history of housing discrimination everywhere racial disparities manifest. The giant wealth gap between black and Latino Americans and white folks. Shorter […]
ACLU, Dept. of Corrections Settle Public Records Lawsuit
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the state Department of Corrections have settled a legal dispute about records dealing with inmate housing at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in the Panhandle. The ACLU filed a lawsuit in August against the department, claiming the agency had rejected public-records requests that involved computerized information about housing […]
Help Me Howard: Wheelchair Ramp
Imagine being a prisoner in your own home. Stuck in a wheelchair, unable to go outside because you don’t have a wheelchair ramp. Even worse, you cant get one. Why it’s one roadblock after another and it’s why one woman called Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser. WSVN — Some people lead charmed lives. Some […]
FJI Helps Secure Wheelchair Ramp for Elderly Woman
Linda Joyner uses a wheelchair for mobility, but found herself a prisoner in her own home. She was having trouble installing a permanent wheelchair ramp to get in and out of her house, after the temporary ramp she used eventually became too heavy for her to lift. Initially her landlord would not allow her to […]
FJI Files Amicus Brief Supporting Cert Petition to U.S. Supreme Court on Strip Search Issue
Following the Supreme Court’s narrow decision in Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of County of Burlington, 132 S.Ct. 1510 (2012)—which held that the Constitution does not forbid suspicionless strip searches of minor offense detainees if they must be housed in the general population—the Eleventh Circuit took this narrow decision and extended it a step […]
Editorial: No New Money for Prisons
Whatever your opinion may be of Gov. Rick Scott, he has been consistent. He campaigned on a platform of cutting government spending, and voters have gotten it since he’s been in office. In the face of the Florida Department of Corrections recent request for $59 million to reopen nine closed prisons and work camps around […]
Florida Wants to Reopen Prisons to House More Inmates
TALLAHASSEE — A year after Florida closed several prisons to save money, the state says it must reopen some of them because of projections of a growing inmate population. The Department of Corrections wants the Legislature to appropriate $59 million to open nine shuttered facilities next year from Miami to the Panhandle, including two prisons, five […]
States Guarantee High Prison Populations for Private Prison Industry’s Profits
“”The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by the relaxation of enforcement efforts, leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices or through the decriminalization of certain activities that are currently proscribed by our criminal laws.” – Corrections Corp. of America Annual Report, 2010 Anyone who even tangentially follows the […]