florida prisons

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says the state's housing capacity for the immigration effort is "a drop in the bucket."

Florida sheriffs say they need more space to handle the numbers of undocumented immigrants they will be arresting.

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

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

A new facility stressing informal interaction and fellowship is now open in Midtown's ECHO complex.

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.

As the state struggles with a shortage of correctional officers, a legislative panel this week will consider a plan that would activate Florida National Guard members to help at prisons, according to a document published Friday.

The Department of Corrections says the change will reduce the amount of contraband coming into prisons. Florida prisons are in the process of converting incoming snail mail to a digital-only format.

Officials in rural areas of North Florida where two prisons have been temporarily shuttered are pleading with state leaders to ensure that the closures aren’t permanent, arguing that the institutions are a vital part of the local economy.

Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch wants to implement 8-and-a-half-hour shifts at all state correctional institutions. Right now, 12-hour shifts are in place at most facilities. Governor Ron DeSantis has included $31 million in his proposed budget to support the change.