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Multiple reports of inmate abuse and even deaths at the hands of Florida prison guards have led to a statewide shakeup. Matt Galka tells us about the latest crackdown, and why some say it’s not enough.

The gruesome death of Darren Rainey – a mentally ill South Florida inmate who was allegedly scalded to death in a hot shower at the hands of prison guards – has led to sweeping changes in state prisons.

The Department of Corrections cleaned house late last week.  32 prison guards from around the state were fired for their alleged roles in prisoner abuse and inmate deaths following an investigation.

We reached out to the Department of Corrections and were told that no one was available to talk about the firings, but they did provide us with this statement.

“I have made it clear that there is zero tolerance for corruption or abuse at the Department of Corrections.” said DOC Secretary Mike Crews in the statement.

But George Mallinckrodt, author of the book “Getting Away With Murder” documenting the shower death, says the state’s problem is much more rampant than a few bad actors.

“I am thinking it’s a lot bigger than Crews is letting on, he’s been talking about a few bad apples, but I’d suspect that this is happening in every prison in Florida,” said Mallinckrodt, a former prison psychotherapist in the same institution Rainey died.

Some of the guards let go in the mass firing were involved in a different inmate death in 2010.  Prisoner Randall Jordan-Aparo was allegedly gassed to death by guards at Franklin Correctional Institution.

Dale Landry with the Florida NAACP says both deaths are reasons why the firings should just be the tip of the iceberg.

“Some of these were criminal incidents, and so from that perspective, by all means, we think there should be either indictments or state attorneys need to come in and arrest them,” said Landry.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently looking into more than 80 inmate deaths throughout the state. The Teamsters union represents the fired prison guards. They claim the officers were not given due process before being let go.