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Class Action Lawsuit Challenges Massive Overuse of Solitary Confinement in Florida Prisons Case Filed by Southern Poverty Law Center, Florida Justice Institute, and Florida Legal Services (5/9/2019) - TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Admire Harvard has spent nearly 10 years locked up in solitary confinement in the Florida prison system. Harvard, a 28-year-old black transgender woman, has been subjected to solitary confinement in a men’s prison since September 2009. Due to conditions in solitary confinement, she suffers from depression, anxiety and auditory hallucinations, and has… ... Continue Reading
Court Issues Final Order in Prison Class Action Requiring Treatment for All Incarcerated People with Hepatitis C (4/18/2019) - On April 18, 2019, Judge Mark Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida issued a final order in the Florida Justice Institute’s (FJI) prison class action, granting the plaintiffs’ request to require the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) to provide treatment to all incarcerated people with Hepatitis C (HCV), including… ... Continue Reading
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Florida Department of Corrections For Unlawfully Confiscating Millions of Dollars of Digital Music and Books (2/19/2019) - MIAMI/TALLAHASSEE – Today, the Florida Justice Institute (FJI) and the Social Justice Law Collective (SJLC) announced the filing of a federal class action lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) for confiscating the lawfully purchased digital music and books of thousands of Florida prisoners. After years of selling digital music and books to Florida prisoners… ... Continue Reading
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Experience the soaring temperatures of Florida’s prisons firsthand on Friday, August 23 From FAMM (8/21/2019) - Miami – More than 60,000 prisoners in Florida go without relief from the scorching summer temperatures. FAMM and Florida Cares are inviting the public to participate in a “Beat the Heat” awareness event, where they will be challenged to spend three minutes in an interactive exhibit featuring a mock prison cell. The event will be held… ... Continue Reading
Banned behind bars: 20,000 books can’t be read by Florida inmates; the list may surprise you From the Tallahassee Democrat (8/14/2019) - How to Leave Prison Early” is not welcome in Florida prisons. The Department of Corrections has declared the how-to book on work release, parole and clemency off limits for the 96,000 inmates in state custody. “It makes no sense. All it does is explain Florida law to help inmates and families understand their options and… ... Continue Reading
‘We Wouldn’t Treat Our Animals This Way’: Lack Of AC In Record Heat Puts Florida Prisons To The Test From WUSF (8/12/2019) - This last May was the hottest ever recorded in the Sunshine State. That was followed by higher-than-average temperatures in June and July. The scorching hot temperatures means thousands of inmates across the state are spending what could potentially be a record-breaking summer without access to air conditioning. The Florida Department of Corrections operates 50 “major… ... Continue Reading
