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Proposed FDOC Budget Cut Would Drop Visitation Days in Half

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Florida’s 98,000 incarcerated citizens had a voice today at the Florida Department of Corrections public hearing. Prisoner support groups gathered for three hours to implore the department to reconsider a proposed visitation policy change.

Mothers, fathers, family members, and inmate advocates took turns at the podium speaking against the new Visitation Schedule proposed by the DOC. Instead of every weekend, visitation would be reduced to every other weekend. The FDOC says this change is due to short staffing. Kyle Williford, Director of Incarcerated Relations at the Campaign for Prison Reform, argues the department seeks to make a profit.

“The bottom line is numbers; it’s not humanity.”

A $28 million DOC budget cut also means limiting re-entry, mental illness, and substance abuse programs.

Kaleigh Wright is a senior at Florida State University pursuing Studio Art, Film Studies, and English. Before her debut at WFSU, Kaleigh worked at Capitol News Service as a Production Assistant and Florida State University as Senior Photographer. Her ultimate goal post-college is to pursue a career in documentary film-making. When she is not behind the camera or in front of the microphone, you can find Kaleigh watching anything by Wes Anderson and kite surfing.