Florida Justice Institute

A nonprofit public interest law firm that conducts civil rights litigation and advocacy in the areas of prisoners’ rights, housing discrimination, disability discrimination, and other areas that impact the lives of Florida’s poor and disenfranchised.

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Our Work

Here are some examples of our work and how it's making a difference across the state of Florida.

FJI Secures $150K Settlement For Formerly Incarcerated Man Who Lost Eye in Brutal Attack

FJI has settled a lawsuit on behalf of Jeremy Barrett, who was formerly incarcerated in the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC).   While serving his three-year sentence, Mr. Barrett was transferred to a cell with another inmate who had a history of attacking his cellmates, and warned corrections officers that, because of his mental condition, he […]

FJI & ACLU Secure Near-$100K Settlement for Paralyzed Man Whose Wheelchair Was Withheld by Prison Officials

For years, Richard Jackson has needed a wheelchair for mobility, and used one without incident during his stay in prison.  When he was transferred to Santa Rosa Correctional Institution, however, prison officials took away his wheelchair while in his cell.  He was locked alone in his cell for over a year, only permitted to leave for […]

FJI & FILS Settle Case for Mother of Deceased Pepper-Sprayed Inmate for $175,000 FDOC Announces Rule Change to Prohibit Chemical Agents on People with Respiratory Illnesses

FJI, co-counseling with Florida Institutional Legal Services, sued the Florida Department of Corrections for the death of Rommell Johnson.  Mr. Johnson was severely asthmatic and one day suffered an asthma attack that required a nebulizer treatment in his cell.  Later that evening, he was sprayed with chemical agents (pepper spray) for allegedly making noise in […]

FJI Files Two Lawsuits for Race Discrimination in Apartment Rentals

FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence, has filed two lawsuits alleging racial discrimination in the renting of apartments.  The Complaints are available here and here. HOPE sent fair housing testers to two apartment complexes–one in Miami and one in Opa-Locka.  The tests revealed that, on the same days, the Black testers were […]

FJI Obtains Hernia Surgery for Incarcerated Man

FJI, on behalf of an incarcerated man with a serious and debilitating hernia, filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections and Corizon (the private prison medical provider), seeking to secure an immediate surgery to repair his hernia.  A motion for preliminary injunction was filed, and a hearing was held in Tallahassee in September […]

FJI Settles for $1.125 Million Over Fatal Shooting of Travis McNeil by Miami Police Department – Updated Feb. 27, 2015

UPDATE 2/27/15:  Yesterday the City of Miami Commissioners approved a $975,000 payment to the Estate of Travis McNeil to settle a civil rights case stemming from McNeil’s fatal 2011 shooting by a Miami police officer. Mr. McNeil’s Estate had already reached a $150,000 settlement with federal agencies who were also participating in the operation that resulted […]

FJI and ACLU Sue Leon County Jail Over Postcard Only Policy

Joining with other jails around the country, in 2014 the Leon County Jail in Tallahassee adopted a policy that required all incoming mail to inmates to be in postcard form.  Family and friends were prohibited from sending letters in envelopes, or enclosing any information like report cards or newspaper articles.  Because of the Postcard Only […]

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