PALM COAST — An old policy of restricting mail sent and received by Flagler County jail inmates officially ended Thursday with an agreement reached between the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. The ACLU, along with the Florida Justice Institute, filed a class-action lawsuit in early 2013 against Flagler […]
Press Coverage
In this section you'll find press coverage of our work.
Florida inmates can’t stomach cold kosher meals From the Orlando Sentinel
TALLAHASSEE — Peanut butter, sardines and cabbage may be healthy options for some scrupulous dieters. But Florida prison inmates whose kosher meals are comprised primarily of those three staples served cold seven days a week say the chow isn’t just nutritionally inadequate, it’s plain gross. They contend that the peanut butter, sardines and cabbage served […]
ACLU to Defend Partially Paralyzed Prisoner in Prison Abuse Case From the Pensacola News-Journal
A partially paralyzed man is receiving legal help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida in an alleged abuse lawsuit against the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution. Richard Allen Jackson, 56, is suing the prison for being denied the use of a wheelchair in his prison cell. Jackson, who cannot walk because of partial paralysis […]
Petition seeks Bar fees to fund legal aid From the Florida Bar News
A group of Florida lawyers is preparing a petition to the Supreme Court seeking authority to have Bar annual membership fees raised up to $100, with the extra funds earmarked for financially strapped legal aid programs. Bar President Eugene Pettis reported on the effort at the Board of Governors January 31 meeting and said he […]
Judge nixes Florida’s welfare drug testing From the Miami Herald
ORLANDO — A federal judge has ruled that a 2011 law requiring welfare applicants to undergo drug tests is unconstitutional, striking a blow to Gov. Rick Scott’s administration over the controversial tests. Scott quickly said he would appeal U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven’sTuesday ruling, the latest defeat for the governor in a drawn-out battle over […]
Florida Law on Drug Tests for Welfare Is Struck Down From the New York Times
KEY WEST, Fla. — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down as unconstitutional a Florida law that required welfare applicants to undergo mandatory drug testing, setting the stage for a legal battle that could affect similar efforts nationwide. Judge Mary S. Scriven of the United States District Court in Orlando held that the testing requirement, […]
Federal lawsuit: St. Lucie County Jail’s postcard-only mail policy is unconstitutional From Scripps Media/TurnTo23.com
A new federal lawsuit is challenging the mail policy for inmates at a county jail in South Florida. According to the lawsuit, the jail’s policy requiring all incoming and outgoing mail to fit on a postcard-size letter is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed against St. Lucie County Sheriff Kenneth J. Mascara in the Southern District […]
FJI Executive Director Randall C. Berg Quoted in Article On History of Civil Rights Restoration From Politifact.com
Dan Gelber says Charlie Crist got automatic restoration of felon rights for 1st time in Florida history As former Gov. Charlie Crist tries to gain supporters in his quest to unseat Republican Gov. Rick Scott, he wants to portray himself as the hero of voter access and Scott as a leader who restricted voting. Dan […]
Justice Watch: Prison Legal News Is Filing, Winning Federal Lawsuits From the Daily Business Review
The October issue of Prison Legal News contained one story entitled, “How many inmate deaths is too many?” Another article addressed a Justice Department investigation into widespread sexual abuse in Alabama women’s prisons by male guards, while another took a look at what led to a mentally ill prisoner in Illinois to die on a […]
Miami’s Homeless Could Lose Some Rights If Judge Agrees with Settlement From the Miami Herald
Miami’s homeless, who since 1998 have benefitted from special life-sustaining privileges not afforded most residents, will lose some of those exceptions if a federal judge signs off on an agreement reached by the city of Miami and the American Civil Liberties Union. No longer will the homeless be allowed to set fires in parks to […]
