Ted has long said that Florida prisons need an overhaul and now the Florida Senate evidently concurs. Here is an article from the Panama City about the newly-passed prison reform package and surprise visits to the prisons.
Senate passes prison overhaul
By DARA KAM | The News Service of Florida
Published: Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 12:07 PM.
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly supported a prison-reform package that includes a commission to oversee the state’s embattled corrections agency, but the House is poised to consider a competing plan that lacks the oversight panel.
Senate Criminal Justice Chairman Greg Evers pushed forward the changes in the aftermath of stories about inmate abuse at the hands of prison guards, rampant corruption inside prisons and allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers.
Evers’ bill (SB 7020) would make it easier for inmates to file complaints, create new penalties for rogue guards who abuse prisoners and establish a governor-appointed commission to oversee prisons and investigate wrongdoing. The measure, approved by a 36-1 vote, would also allow inmates’ families or lawyers to pay for independent medical evaluations and expand opportunities for old or sick inmates to get out of prison early.
Senate passes prison overhaul
By DARA KAM | The News Service of Florida
Published: Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 12:07 PM.
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly supported a prison-reform package that includes a commission to oversee the state’s embattled corrections agency, but the House is poised to consider a competing plan that lacks the oversight panel.
Senate Criminal Justice Chairman Greg Evers pushed forward the changes in the aftermath of stories about inmate abuse at the hands of prison guards, rampant corruption inside prisons and allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers.
Evers’ bill (SB 7020) would make it easier for inmates to file complaints, create new penalties for rogue guards who abuse prisoners and establish a governor-appointed commission to oversee prisons and investigate wrongdoing. The measure, approved by a 36-1 vote, would also allow inmates’ families or lawyers to pay for independent medical evaluations and expand opportunities for old or sick inmates to get out of prison early.
To read more, visit: http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/senate-passes-prison-overhaul-1.459422.
