Florida’s criminal justice system has seen some success with using alternatives to lock-ups for juvenile offenders. It’s been so successful that there’s a burgeoning movement to increase the use of non-jail diversion programs with non-violent adult offenders, which could have significant impact in Flagler County.
Prisons and Jails
Two Flagler Jail Inmates Earn Food Handling Certifications, Readying Them for Jobs
After spending some time in the Flagler County jail, two inmates will be ready to work in an area restaurant thanks to a new educational program at the Flagler County jail. The jail is run by Director Becky Quintieri.
Judge Sides With Counties Again Over Juvenile Justice Costs Florida Is Passing On
For the second time in little more than a month, a state judge has found that the Department of Juvenile Justice improperly carried out a law that requires counties to help pay juvenile-detention costs.
Prison Privatization Still Unconstitutional As Court Rejects Attorney General’s Appeal
In a victory for police unions, an appeals court ruled against Attorney General Pam Bondi in a long-running battle about the Legislature’s attempt last year to privatize prisons across southern Florida.
As Florida and Other States Privatize Prison Health Services, Care Standards Suffer
Florida and other states, in an attempt to cut costs, are increasingly outsourcing health care for inmates to for-profit companies, but the trend is raising concerns among unions and prisoners’ rights groups.
Florida Prison Sentences Lengthen an Average Of 166% Since 1990, Most By Far in U.S.
Costing Florida taxpayers $1.4 billion a year, Florida’s prisons have some of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, too, even though the state still has the nation’s ninth highest violent crime rate, suggesting a poor return on investment.
Five Questions for Wansley Walters, Head of Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice
Before becoming secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Wansley Walters directed the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department, considered a national model for saving money while reducing the juvenile arrest rate. She’s the first woman to lead DJJ.
Bed Soars: At Flagler County Jail, a Daily “Shell Game” Balancing Risk With Overcrowding
A tour of the Flagler County jail reveals the sort of calculations jail staff must make every day to fit close to 150 inmates in a facility built for 132 as the sheriff and the county commission try to convince other governments–and voters–that money is needed to expand.
Counties Challenge Juvenile Detention Costs
The challenge to Department of Juvenile Justice rules is part of a string of related legal disputes involving at least 10 counties over how much of the detention tab counties should pay. The case may have repercussions across the state.
The 4th Amendment, Stripped and Degraded
The Supreme Court’s decision allowing the strip-searching of anyone booked into jail–no matter how small the charge, no matter the presumption of innocence of the accused–is merely the latest in a long series of constitutional violations, enshrined by conservative justices.