Under last-minute Florida bill, state inmates could do time elsewhere

[seafan]

Somewhere, Dick Cheney and Halliburton are chuckling.

By the way what is "a political subdivision of another state"?



Under bill, state inmates could do time elsewhere

By Joe Follick H-T CAPITAL BUREAU
Published Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.

TALLAHASSEE — Inmates could serve their Florida stint in other states under a new idea lawmakers will consider this week.
A proposal would allow the state's Department of Corrections to "enter into contractual agreements with another state, a political subdivision of another state, or a vendor in another state to transfer and confine Florida inmates."

DOC spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff said Monday there were no plans to ship any inmates out of state.
"We do not want to do this," she said. "We would build tents even before we would do this. Correctional officers don't want us to do it and certainly the inmates' families don't want to do this."

Still, Rackleff said, the bill would give "extra insurance so we won't have to release dangerous inmates" if the state's prison population triggers a mandatory release due to overcrowding.
And the plan could find favor among lawmakers who see short-term cost-cutting potential in sending inmates to other states instead of building new prisons in Florida.

The plan was offered as a last-minute amendment to a bill set to be considered on Wednesday by the Senate's Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations committee.

.....

While most states have their own crowding issues, prisons run by for-profit companies have accepted other states' inmates for years. Florida has never transferred inmates to other states for cost or crowding reasons.

Shifting inmates to other states has been controversial. The mixture of different sets of prisoners accustomed to different sets of rules has led to riots in a number of prisons.

.....

The state's prison system is facing a deep budget cut of $160 million or more as lawmakers struggle to deal with a multibillion-dollar budget hole for all state operations. The DOC could lose at least 1,400 employees.

There are several red flags in this story.

1. This is a last minute add-on to other legislation. Less chance of being noticed. And just exactly WHO will benefit from outsourcing our inmates to other states?


2. Prison spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff reacts *in horror*, BUT also says that this move would be "extra insurance so we won't have to release dangerous inmates" because of overcrowding.


3. Halliburton just built some nice, shiny new prisons scattered all over the country, and they need populating with immigrants and prisoners (....that cannot have their cases reviewed or heard be because Florida has started cutting deep swaths into judicial budgets.)


4. "There are no plans to ship any inmates out of state." (That sounds eerily familiar.)



Florida's budget crisis is in a death spiral.


And the Republican overlords stomp on the accelerator.

[jody]

1. I'm sure several third world countries are eager to accept outsourced prisons for U.S. prisoners. nt

[KamaAina]

2. Gitmo's not that far from FL

:eyes:

[High Plains]

3. Well, stop locking up people for drugs. That will reduce the pressure.

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, drug offenders are the single largest category of prisoners, some 20%.

http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/annual/0607/stats/im_pop.html

Before state officials start whining about "dangerous inmates," they might consider getting rid of the non-violent ones.

Otherwise, pay up.

[Judi Lynn]

4. They've found ways to make prison far more miserable for both the inmates and their loved ones,

since placing them far from home will create real hardships on their family members, friends who would be able to travel to see them in their home state but can't afford the time and expense to travel far.

It's dirty, it's underhanded, it's Republican.

Maybe someone should ask Duke Cunningham or former Bridgeport,Connecticut mayor and child molester, Phillip Giordano, etc. to offer their opinions on the subject.