TALLAHASSEE — Peanut butter, sardines and cabbage may be healthy options for some scrupulous dieters. But Florida prison inmates whose kosher meals are comprised primarily of those three staples served cold seven days a week say the chow isn’t just nutritionally inadequate, it’s plain gross. They contend that the peanut butter, sardines and cabbage served […]
ACLU to Defend Partially Paralyzed Prisoner in Prison Abuse Case
A partially paralyzed man is receiving legal help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida in an alleged abuse lawsuit against the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution. Richard Allen Jackson, 56, is suing the prison for being denied the use of a wheelchair in his prison cell. Jackson, who cannot walk because of partial paralysis […]
Petition seeks Bar fees to fund legal aid
A group of Florida lawyers is preparing a petition to the Supreme Court seeking authority to have Bar annual membership fees raised up to $100, with the extra funds earmarked for financially strapped legal aid programs. Bar President Eugene Pettis reported on the effort at the Board of Governors January 31 meeting and said he […]
Judge nixes Florida’s welfare drug testing
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Feds Reach $600,000 Settlement with Former Ill Inmate
A former inmate forced to undergo double hip replacement surgeries will receive $600,000 in a settlement with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Beginning in February 2009, Robert Hernandez writhed in pain for eight months before he was allowed to see a licensed physician. The unlicensed medical staff at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Central […]
Disabled Attorney Sues Hotel After Using Trash Can for Toilet
A quadriplegic attorney from California, forced to use a trash can for a toilet, filed a discrimination suit Monday against a Miami Beach hotel. Jennifer Kern, 47, of Berkeley claims a violation of the Florida Civil Rights Act and seeks damages for mental anguish. Kern planned a trip to Miami Beach on the end of a visit […]
Civil Rights Groups Protest Prison Internet Ban
“The Florida prison system’s attempt to stop prisoners from communicating on the Internet has run into a threat of legal action by three inmate-rights advocacy organizations that contend inmates don’t give up their First Amendment rights at the prison gate. The Department of Corrections this month withdrew a proposed administrative rule forbidding inmates to use […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
A Better Idea on Pardons
Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet will be wasting their time and our tax dollars when they consider a pardon for the dead Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
Sheriff Sued Over Mail Policy at Santa Rosa Jail
The lawsuit against Sheriff Wendell Hall, filed in the federal court in Pensacola on behalf of three inmates, claims that the policy put in place on July 26 violates the inmates’ free-speech and privacy rights and restricts their ability to communicate with their friends and family. In a federal lawsuit in 2008, the ACLU was successful in […]