Our Work
FJI Returns to Court to Enforce Brevard Jail Overcrowding Consent Decree (1/6/2020) - The Florida Justice Institute (FJI) has filed a Motion for Order to Show Cause to enforce a Consent Decree that prohibits overcrowding in the Brevard County Jail. The Decree requires the jail population to remain below a certain level, but in recent years the population has exceeded that level. FJI has been monitoring the Decree… ... Continue Reading
FJI 2019 Year in Review (12/31/2019) - It’s been quite a year for FJI, and we want to thank you for all the support that has made our work possible. While we mourned the loss of our dear friend and founder, Randy Berg, we continue to celebrate his life by advancing the work that he started. Some of this year’s accomplishments include: We… ... Continue Reading
FJI, Representing Disability Rights Florida, Sues Florida Department of Corrections for Breach of Settlement Agreement Protecting Incarcerated People with Disabilities (12/4/2019) - TALLAHASSEE, DECEMBER 4, 2019– Disability Rights Florida, Florida’s federally funded Protection and Advocacy organization for individuals with disabilities, has brought suit against the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) over its systemic failure to comply with a settlement agreement signed by both parties in July 2017. DRF is represented by the Florida Justice Institute and Morgan… ... Continue Reading
Latest News
Claim of chronic overcrowding at Brevard Jail lands county back in federal court Florida Today (1/16/2020) - For years, the Brevard County Jail has housed hundreds of inmates over its "operational capacity," in apparent violation of a 27-year-old court decree, according to a motion filed in federal court in Orlando last week by a prisoners' rights group. The Miami-based Florida Justice Institute filed the motion, seeking an order to show cause as to… ... Continue Reading
More tax dollars won’t solve Florida’s dire prison crisis Special to the Sun Sentinel (1/14/2020) - Last year, a Florida prison inmate at Martin Correctional Institution used a hidden camera to document the conditions there. It showed inmates living in mold-infested squalor, passed out on synthetic drugs, and continuous, horrific violence. The video documents for the public what most legislators already knew: Florida’s prisons are crumbling. Illegal drugs are rampant. Assaults… ... Continue Reading
Federal Judge Refuses to Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging Juvenile Solitary Confinement Flaglerlive (12/11/2019) - A federal judge Friday rejected a request by the state Department of Juvenile Justice to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the use of solitary confinement for juveniles. The Southern Poverty Law Center, Florida Legal Services and the Florida Justice Institute sued the state in September and alleged that placing juveniles in solitary confinement violated the constitutional… ... Continue Reading
