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Florida Prison Budget

January 29th, 2015 by flanews

Cleaning up Florida’s prison system will be a top priority for legislators this year, and as Matt Galka tells us, after the Governor unveiled his budget plans for prisons. Corrections officials are confident they can get it done.

Governor Rick Scott’s $77 billion dollar budget proposal includes more than $50 million dollars of new money designed to clean up Florida’s prison system.

New Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones says it’s a good start.

“We’ve been able to take a very strategic approach to the agencies needs, leverage existing resources to get a very large push in filling positions,” said Jones.

With more than 340 recorded deaths, 2014 was the deadliest year on record for Florida prison inmates. Hundreds of the deaths are currently being investigated. by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE and now fired former chief Gerald Bailey had requested funds to help with the case load. Scott didn’t include that money.

“The Governor’s office did not fund that particular issue now, but they’ve committed to funding it once FDLE and I come to an agreement and then give the Governor’s office with an estimate for the resources we’ll need going forward,” said Jones.

House and Senate leaders say they’re ready to do whatever they can to help fix the system.

“I don’t know what the answers are so I can’t commit to a certain issue or what have you, but we’ve always worked closely with the Department on budget requests, I don’t ever remember us saying ‘no, we’re not going to give you the tools to be successful,” said House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.

Some of the money proposed in the Governor’s budget would go toward filling 300 staff vacancies, which critics say is still not enough.  But Jones says that will decrease overtime spending and ultimately add up to more positions being filled.

On Monday, a Senate panel will hold another meeting on prison reform and will look at a bill that would punish guards who abuse inmates, as well as other staff that contribute to prisoner mistreatment.

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