Florida Justice Institute, together with other civil rights groups, have objected to a proposed FDOC legal mail rule that would make it more difficult for attorneys to communicate with incarcerated people. The proposed rule would impose extra burdens on lawyer, requiring them to visit a website and obtain a special code for every piece of […]
FJI Files Lawsuit for Family of Incarcerated Man Who Committed Suicide with Chainsaw
The Florida Justice Institute (FJI) has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) for the family of a man with schizophrenia who committed suicide with a chainsaw while incarcerated at South Florida Reception Center, an FDC prison in Doral. Tristin Murphy had an initial evaluation during which he was actively psychotic and […]
A Message from Our Executive Director
Dear Friends, I’m writing with some exciting changes that are coming to Florida Justice Institute (FJI). After four a half years of serving as FJI’s Executive Director, it’s time for me to step into a new role. We will be creating a new position of Legal Director that I will assume, and FJI will begin […]
FJI Sues City of Hollywood, Seeking to End Anti-Panhandling Ordinances
May 3, 2023; HOLLYWOOD, FL. Yesterday, the Florida Justice Institute (FJI), in partnership with Fort Lauderdale lawyer Mara Shlackman, filed a lawsuit challenging three Hollywood anti-panhandling ordinances as unconstitutional restrictions of free speech. The ordinances require people soliciting donations to obtain a permit, impose various restrictions on panhandling—including outright banning it in certain areas—and prohibit […]
FJI condemns state-sanctioned violence against Black communities
We condemn the brutal murder of George Floyd and the countless other Black people who have been victims of police violence and racist oppression. As we deeply mourn their needless deaths, we recognize that they are only the most recent examples of a deeper current of racialized police brutality that pervades our law enforcement institutions. […]
Court Approves Preliminary Settlement in Class Action Lawsuit Against FDOC For Confiscation of Millions of Dollars of Digital Music
MIAMI/TALLAHASSEE/TAMPA BAY – Today, a federal judge preliminarily approved a settlement resolving a statewide class action lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) involving the confiscation of millions of dollars of lawfully purchased digital music from incarcerated people in Florida. The settlement requires the FDOC to provide 3.9 million credits for class members to […]
FJI Files Lawsuit Challenging Pompano Beach’s Anti-Panhandling Ordinance as Unconstitutional
Today, the Florida Justice Institute (FJI), in partnership with Fort Lauderdale lawyers Mara Shlackman and Frantz J. McLawrence, filed a lawsuit challenging the City of Pompano Beach’s anti-panhandling ordinance as an unconstitutional restriction of free speech. The Ordinance prohibits the solicitation of donations, business, or sales during certain times and at certain intersections, and otherwise […]
FJI Returns to Court to Enforce Brevard Jail Overcrowding Consent Decree
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 […]
FJI 2019 Year in Review
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 […]
FJI, Representing Disability Rights Florida, Sues Florida Department of Corrections for Breach of Settlement Agreement Protecting Incarcerated People with Disabilities
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 […]
New Lawsuit Challenges Use of Solitary Confinement for Children in Florida
Case Filed by Southern Poverty Law Center, Florida Justice Institute, and Florida Legal Services
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –Citing scientific, medical and mental health evidence likening solitary confinement to torture and demonstrating its dangers to the development and rehabilitation of children, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Florida Legal Services (FLS), and the Florida Justice Institute (FJI) have filed a federal class action lawsuit against Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) […]
After inmate ‘dragged like a ragdoll,’ lawmaker calls prison conditions ‘less than human’
From the Miami Herald
In a video posted on Facebook, State Rep. Dianne Hart excoriated excessive heat, excessively short eating times, inadequate female hygiene materials and inmate treatment after spending Sunday at Lowell Correctional Institution, days after an inmate was brutally manhandled, leaving her gravely hurt. Hart’s been at Lowell several times before, but this is the first time […]
Protest planned after brutal attack by guards on woman at Florida’s Lowell prison
From the Miami Herald
Advocacy groups are organizing a protest at Florida’s largest women’s prison, Lowell Correctional Institution, Saturday morning in the wake of a violent assault, allegedly by a correctional lieutenant, that gravely injured a 51-year-old inmate, sources have told the Miami Herald. The inmate, identified by sources as Cheryl A. Weimar, had suffered from both mental and […]
After brutal attack by guards on woman at Florida’s Lowell prison, a probe is begun
From the Miami Herald
A 51-year-old inmate at the nation’s largest women’s prison was gravely injured this week in what was described as a violent assault by staff, including a lieutenant. According to sources close to Lowell Correctional Institution, the woman became involved in a confrontation with corrections officers as she sought to declare a psychological emergency. Under proper […]
Lawsuit: Florida Inmate Thrown In Solitary for Biting Guard While Having Seizure
From Reason
A 28-year-old former Florida inmate with a history of epilepsy says he was beaten and thrown in solitary confinement for seven months after he involuntarily bit a correctional officer while having a seizure. In a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last month and first reported by The Miami Herald, Dean Higgins claims he suffered a grand mal seizure last September at […]
Allegedly beaten and sent to isolation after epileptic seizure, a Florida prisoner sues
From the Miami Herald
Last September, a 28-year-old autistic man experienced an epileptic seizure at Desoto Correctional Institution, about 50 miles north of Fort Myers. Instead of receiving prompt medical care, he alleges he was beaten by corrections officers, then placed in isolation for the balance of his two-year sentence. Dean Higgins is now suing the Florida Department of Corrections and […]
Experience the soaring temperatures of Florida’s prisons firsthand on Friday, August 23
From FAMM
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 […]
Banned behind bars: 20,000 books can’t be read by Florida inmates; the list may surprise you
From the Tallahassee Democrat
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 […]