FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), filed a lawsuit against a real estate company and condominium association for violations of the Fair Housing Act. HOPE testers discovered that the association had a policy prohibiting children under a certain age from living in the condo, and the real estate company published an […]
FJI Settles Case Against FDOC for Mother of 24-year-old Inmate Who Died of Asthma Attack for $250,000
Daniel Wolfe was a 24-year-old man who was six months shy of getting out of prison when he suffocated to death in his cell of a predictable asthma attack. This was not his first: Daniel had already suffered from a number of serious asthma attacks, including one where he passed out in his cell and […]
A Smarter Way to Run Florida’s Correctional System
There are many reasons the Legislature should embrace “Smart Justice” legislation, including significant benefits to public safety. But as the House and Senate get down to the nitty-gritty of adopting a final budget, there is an even more compelling reason: money. A lot of it. The Florida Department of Corrections is working hard to eliminate […]
FJI Files Summary Judgment Motion in Censorship Case Against Florida Department of Corrections
Back in 2003, the FDOC began to censor the magazine Prison Legal News—a monthly publication of legal news, analysis, and commentary on the prison system—on the basis of certain advertisements that appear in PLN. During that litigation, the FDOC amended the relevant rule and assured the court they would no longer censor the magazine, and the […]
Prison Policy Initiative Releases Report on “Post-card Only” Mail Policies in Jails
Over the past five years, dozens of local jails across the country have followed a harmful new policy trend: mandating that all personal written correspondence to or from jail take place via postcard. The postcard-only trend began in 2007, when controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio instituted a ban on any incoming non-legal mail except […]
FJI Ends 30-year-old Consent Decree with Monroe County Jail that Drastically Improved Conditions
First filed in 1980, the case of McIntyre v. Perryam resulted in a consent decree against the Monroe County Jail in Key West for its horrific and unsanitary conditions. The buildings were infested with vermin, the plumbing hardly worked, fights were commonplace, medical care was atrocious or nonexistent, and inmates went months without outdoor rec […]
FJI Settles Four Housing Discrimination Complaints on behalf of HOPE Fair Housing Center
FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), filed a series of lawsuits against various real estate companies and condominium associations for violations of the Fair Housing Act. HOPE testers discovered that the associations had a policy prohibiting children under a certain age from living in the condo, and the real estate companies […]
FJI Secures Hearing Equipment for Incarcerated Deaf Man; FDOC Pays $237,500 in Attorneys’ Fees
Felix Garcia, a profoundly deaf incarcerated man, just wanted to be able to hear the television, using a simple hookup to his hearing aid and a radio transmitter from the television. When the FDOC would not allow him to have the equipment, he filed a lawsuit pro se and litigated it for years until FJI […]
FJI & ACLU Reach Settlement with Santa Rosa County to Repeal Postcard Only Policy from Jail
When the Santa Rosa County Jail adopted a policy that required all outgoing correspondence from inmates to be on postcards—no letters in envelopes—FJI, co-counseling with the ACLU of Florida, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all jail inmates, alleging that the policy violated the First Amendment. After months of litigation, the parties reached […]
Santa Rosa Inmates Can Exchange Letters
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) – Federal judge Casey Rodgers signed an order reversing the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s “post card only” mail policy and ordering the jail to again allow inmates to exchange letters through the U.S. mail. It’s the result of a legal challenge to the policy brought by the ACLU of Florida and the […]
FJI Files Lawsuit Against Florida Department of Corrections Over Censorship of Prison Legal News
The ACLU of Florida (ACLUFL) and the Florida Justice Institute, representing Prison Legal News (PLN), a project of the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC), today filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) for preventing Florida inmates from receiving publications about the legal rights of prisoners. The complaint, which was filed in […]
Court Declares Suspicionless Drug Testing Program Unconstitutional
FJI and the ACLU of Florida, on behalf of Luis Lebron, filed a lawsuit challenging a state law requiring drug testing of all applicants for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits. We alleged that this requirement, which was to be conducted without any suspicion whatsoever, violated the Fourth Amendment as an unreasonable search. District […]
FJI, FILS, Holland & Knight Achieve Historic Victory for Incarcerated People with Mental Illnesses
This case resulted in one of the most significant victories for prisoners’ rights in Florida, and allowed FJI to collaborate with the law firm of Holland & Knight, as well as Florida Institutional Legal Services. The three firms filed suit on behalf of eight incarcerated people with serious mental illnesses who were being sprayed with […]
Judge Halts Enforcement of Unconstitutional Law Mandating Drug Tests for Temporary Assistance Applicants
ORLANDO–(ENEWSPF)–October 24 – As the result of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU of Florida and the Florida Justice Institute (FJI), today U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven halted enforcement of Florida’s new law mandating drug tests for all applicants for the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The judge ruled that the compelled drug […]
FJI & ACLU File Lawsuit to End Suspicionless Drug Testing of TANF Applicants
FJI and the ACLU of Florida, on behalf of Luis Lebron, filed a lawsuit challenging a state law requiring drug testing of all applicants for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits. We alleged that this requirement, which was to be conducted without any suspicion whatsoever, violated the Fourth Amendment as an unreasonable search. All […]
FJI Achieves $500,000 Settlement for Parents of Incarcerated Woman Who Committed Suicide
FJI sued the FDOC, as well as two private health care companies, for negligence and deliberate indifference to serious medical need, after Aleshia Napier committed suicide while incarcerated at Broward Correctional Institution. She was 18 years old. Despite suffering from serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and having attempted suicide in the past, FDOC […]
FJI & LSGMI Achieve Policy Change and $254,000 Payout from Hialeah Housing Authority
The eight courageous plaintiffs in this case all attempted to apply for Section 8 housing vouchers from the Hialeah Housing Authority (HHA), but encountered numerous obstacles. The HHA refused to make accommodations in the application process for people with disabilities, requested decades-old documents that they were not permitted to request, and otherwise made it difficult […]
Hialeah Agency Agrees to Make Changes to Settle Housing Lawsuit
Hialeah Housing Authority operations will change under a settlement with low-income residents who were denied Section 8 rent subsidies. Read more.