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 […]
FJI Takes Prison Legal News Censorship Case to Trial
After the Court denied both parties’ motions for summary judgment, a bench trial was held in January 2015. A decision from the Court is pending.
FJI & Disability Rights Florida Sue Hotel For Not Providing a Wheelchair Accessible Room
FJI, along with Disability Rights Florida, brought a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Jennifer Kern under the Florida Civil Rights Act, against the owners of the Days Inn North Beach. Jennifer must use a wheelchair for mobility. Early in 2013, Jennifer made a reservation at the Days Inn and even called ahead to be […]
FJI Sues FDOC & Corizon Seeking Return of Leg Prosthesis for Incarcerated Amputee
Christopher Villanueva lost his left leg in an accident and for years has used a below-the-knew prosthesis. However, prison officials took it away from him when he entered prison. As a result, his leg has shriveled, and he has lost muscle tone and mass because of the non-use of his leg, and he has lost […]
Eleventh Circuit Confirms Suspicionless Drug Testing Unconstitutional
On appeal for a second time, the Eleventh Circuit upheld Judge Scriven’s order and agreed the drug testing program was unconstitutional, affirming the permanent injunction. Read the ACLU’s statement, or you can view media coverage here. Today, a three-judge panel at the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a 2011 Florida law mandating […]
ACLU, FJI, and Others Urge Department of Justice to Investigate Grisly Death of Incarcerated Man with Mental Illness
The ACLU of Florida, the Florida Justice Institute, and other civil rights groups have sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging the Department of Justice to initiate an investigation of the death of Darren Rainey while in custody at Dade Correctional Institution, and, more broadly, the treatment of mentally ill inmates in Florida […]
FJI, on behalf of HOPE Fair Housing Center, Files Race Discrimination Housing Lawsuit
Lawyers from the Florida Justice Institute (FJI) have filed a federal lawsuit alleging housing discrimination on the basis of race against a Miami apartment complex. Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), a local fair housing center, sent testers to ask about the availability of apartments. The Black testers were told that no apartments were available, […]
FJI and ACLU File First Amendment Lawsuit Against Flagler County Jail Over Postcard Poliy
When the Flagler County Jail adopted a policy that required all correspondence sent to inmates to be on postcards—no letters, books, magazines, etc.—FJI, co-counseling with the ACLU of Florida, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all persons who have friends or family in the jail and would like to write to them, alleging […]
FJI Assists ACLU Attorneys in Defending Historic Pottinger Agreement to Protect Homeless Individuals
The Pottinger Agreement is a consent decree entered in 1998 between the City of Miami and ACLU attorneys after a decade of hard-fought litigation and intense negotiations. The Agreement prevents City of Miami police officers from arresting homeless individuals for committing certain life-sustaining conduct misdemeanors in public if there is no available shelter bed to […]
FJI, On Behalf of HOPE Fair Housing Center, Settles Lawsuit Against Real Estate Companies for Housing Discrimination
FJI, on behalf of Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence (HOPE), filed a lawsuit against a real estate agent and two realty companies after the agent repeatedly told HOPE testers that children were not allowed to live in an apartment building, which is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. This was after the realtor had […]
FJI Files Lawsuit Against St. Lucie County Jail Over Post-Card Only Policy
Attorneys for FJI, on behalf of Prison Legal News (PLN), have filed a lawsuit against the St. Lucie County Sheriff over the Sheriff’s recently adopted policy that prohibits people incarcerated in the St. Lucie County jail from receiving any mail other than postcards. The policy also prohibits inmates from receiving any books or magazines through […]
FJI Seeks to Vindicate Religious Rights By Ensuring Incarcerated Muslims Receive Halaal Meals
Back in 2007, FJI filed a lawsuit on behalf of several incarcerated Muslims who sought a halaal meal to comply with their religious dietary requirements. The FDOC refused to provide a halaal meal, even though they were providing kosher meals to Jewish inmates. The FDOC eventually decided, in the middle of the case, to eliminate […]
FJI Helps Secure Wheelchair Ramp for Elderly Woman
Linda Joyner uses a wheelchair for mobility, but found herself a prisoner in her own home. She was having trouble installing a permanent wheelchair ramp to get in and out of her house, after the temporary ramp she used eventually became too heavy for her to lift. Initially her landlord would not allow her to […]
FJI Files Amicus Brief Supporting Cert Petition to U.S. Supreme Court on Strip Search Issue
Following the Supreme Court’s narrow decision in Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of County of Burlington, 132 S.Ct. 1510 (2012)—which held that the Constitution does not forbid suspicionless strip searches of minor offense detainees if they must be housed in the general population—the Eleventh Circuit took this narrow decision and extended it a step […]
FJI Objects to Proposed PREA Rule
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is a federal law that requires all state corrections agencies to develop rules that provide ways for inmates to easily report sexual abuse, and to ensure proper documentation and investigation of sexual abuse in prison. The Florida Department of Corrections proposed rules to comply with PREA; however, we believed the […]
FJI Secures Needed Surgery for Incarcerated Man with Painful Condition
An inmate who contacted FJI suffered from an extremely painful condition that can be cured by a simple surgery. However, despite years of requests, the FDOC refused to approve a visit to a surgeon for a consult. FJI sent a letter to the FDOC reminding them that failure to treat an inmate’s severe pain is […]
FJI Settles Case for Incarcerated Man Whose Hand Was Crushed by Guard’s Attack
While locked behind a steel door in his cell, an FDOC inmate put his arm outside of the door’s food flap to ask an officer about an upcoming medical appointment he had. The officer ran over to the door and kicked the food flap shut, crushing the inmate’s hand, requiring surgery and months of physical […]
FJI Settles Case with Bureau of Prisons for $600,000 Over Lack of Medical Care
FJI, co-counseling with the firm Alan Goldfarb P.A., filed suit on behalf of former federal prisoner Robert Hernandez. Mr. Hernandez was in good health when he entered the federal Bureau of Prisons, but one day he experienced a terrible pain in his hip. Although he complained constantly to the BOP medical staff—none of whom were […]