Florida Prisons

Attorneys for the family of a Black man fatally shot by a Georgia deputy during a traffic stop are demanding $16 million in restitution from the sheriff's office. 53-year-old Leonard Cure had previously spent 16 years in a Florida prison for a crime he didn't commit.

It says more than $2.2 billion is needed to fix issues such as leaking roofs, and adding air conditioning to existing prisons.

The Florida Policy Project released two reports outlining ways for state lawmakers to improve the criminal justice system. They include recommendations to help people re-enter society after prison and reduce recidivism rates.

Cure was exonerated in 2020 after more than 16 years in prison for a robbery he did not commit. He was fatally shot by a Georgia sheriff's deputy after being pulled over for speeding.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discuss how inflation, higher interest rates and the high cost of housing are stretching paychecks; Florida's low union membership; and how Duval and Miami-Dade jails are under fire.

The Florida Department of Corrections said inmates were relocated to larger main units better equipped to weather Idalia's impact.

Denise Rock is the executive director of the advocacy group Florida Cares Charity Corp.

Corrections officials are attempting to alleviate sweltering conditions in Florida’s unairconditioned prisons, but inmate advocates say the efforts are falling short.

The lawsuit claimed the department’s use of solitary confinement violated the constitutional rights of inmates, including inmates with disabilities.

Among the titles that prison staff deemed were too inflammatory for incarcerated Floridians to read include cook books, French and Arabic language dictionaries, and a guide on how to survive solitary confinement.

Lawmakers approved a request from the Department of Corrections to free up $31.25 million to be used to pay up to 300 guard members who will be deployed to prisons until July.

A legislative panel will consider a plan that would activate Florida National Guard members to help at prisons, facing staffing shortages.