![]() The problems have energized a preexisting movement to close the facility. At Riker’s Island, New York City’s largest jail, guards reportedly don’t show up for work, leaving prisoners to open doors, feed meals, and dictate who goes when and where. This problem isn’t unique to Florida-there have also been staff shortages in Nebraska and Arizona, which have forced facilities to cut back on the hours they operate. While DeSantis has bragged about efforts to incentivize new recruits with $33,400 salaries and small bonuses, the system remains at a breaking point. ”Being trapped indoors every day without exercise affects our physical and mental health.”įlorida’s 50 prisons hold roughly 80,000 incarcerated people. “We don’t get outside enough because they are always short on officers,” James Stine, an incarcerated resident serving a life sentence, told The Appeal. Officer trainees on probation walk around unescorted and execute rudimentary searches, unable to prevent violence or even perform routine tasks like security count. nearly 1,500 residents are often trapped indoors because there is not enough staff to open the recreation yard or the education building for programs. Prisoners in cell blocks are routinely assaulted and robbed.ĭade C.I’s. Chaos often ensues as hundreds of people move without direction. Although FDC policy requires four correctional officers per 250 incarcerated residents, large groups of men in the chow hall are usually supervised by only one officer. The staff shortage is evident at facilities such as Dade Correctional Institution, where this reporter was once incarcerated. Restricted movement due to a lack of supervision at facilities causes interruptions in programs and education. Mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder resulting from physical violence are common. Chronic staff shortages and high employee turnover rates have plagued the state for years, resulting in dangerous conditions for staff and incarcerated residents. But while much has been reported about DeSantis’s decision to bring in troops, less has been said about how the lack of basic funding and oversight has impacted those stuck inside the nation’s third-largest state prison system. The 300 guard members will temporarily provide security, hand out supplies, and perform other duties normally reserved for correctional officers. In response to a shortage of Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) officers, Governor Ron DeSantis on September 9 sent the National Guard to nine state prisons, highlighting an ongoing crisis throughout an overcrowded and understaffed criminal legal system. ![]() How Florida’s Dire Prison Staff Shortage Hurts People Inside ![]()
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