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Clock is Ticking on Understaffing in Florida’s Prison System
by David M. Reutter
Increases in use-of-force incidents, violence and disturbances in Florida prisons have been blamed on understaffing, a problem ticking like a time bomb in the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC).
Guards employed by the FDOC, which is the third-largest prison system in the U.S., …
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More from this issue:
- Ninth Circuit Blocks Deportation of ICE Detainee Who Received $125,000 for County Jail Rape, by Derek Gilna
- Oregon Juvenile Prisoners Denied Law Libraries, Legal Assistance; Claims Not Heck-Barred
- Report Critical of BOP’s Solitary Confinement Policy for Mentally Ill Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- French Officials to Install Phones in 50,000 Prison Cells, by Monte McCoin
- Total Cost of Pretrial Detention Estimated at up to $140 Billion Annually
- $637,500 Settlement for Texas Jail Suicide
- California Jail Doctor Faces Medical Board Discipline for Negligent Care, by Monte McCoin
- North Carolina Brothers Settle Lawsuit Over 31 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Policy Initiative Report Addresses Jail Populations, by Derek Gilna
- California Billionaire Pushes States to Adopt “Marsy’s Law”, by Matthew Clarke
- Record Number of Florida Prisoners Died in 2016, 2017, by David Reutter
- Canada to Apologize, Pay $10.5 Million to Former Guantanamo Detainee, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisoner Abuse at Parchman: Minimum Punishment and Impeded Investigations, by David Reutter
- Louisiana Prisons Present Immense Environmental Dangers, by Daniel Horowitz
- New York: Prison Disciplinary Witness Request Improperly Denied
- CoreCivic Prison in Tennessee Plagued with Problems, by David Reutter
- Texas: Federal Court Grants Injunction Against Discriminatory Money Bail System, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoner Suicides a Problem in Oklahoma, by Matthew Clarke
- New FAMM Report Offers Solutions for BOP Recidivism, by Derek Gilna
- Texas State Jail Guard Indicted for Leaking Video of Tear Gassing
- Ninth Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Excessive Force Suit
- $11.5 Million Awarded in Suits Over Wisconsin Jailer’s Sexual Assaults, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Experiences Continued Problems with Aramark, by Christopher Zoukis
- Poor and Mentally Ill Languish in Mississippi Jails for Months or Years Awaiting Indictments, by David Reutter
- Lawsuit Alleges Inadequate BOP Mental Health Treatment in SMU, by David Reutter
- Missouri Supreme Court: Restitution Must be for Losses “Due to” Crime of Conviction
- Stipulation to Admit Video Created Error When Video Was Excluded at Trial
- Class Certified in Lawsuit Alleging Flaws in Illinois’ Prison Healthcare System
- Co-pays Deter Prisoners from Accessing Medical Care, by Christopher Zoukis
- Pennsylvania: $20,000 Settlement for Prisoner’s ADA Claim
- Virginia: Undocumented Immigrant Receives $12,000 Settlement for Overdetention, by David Reutter
- $7.9 Million Award Against New York County and Medical Contractor in Jail Suicide Case
- Estimated 10.35 Million Prisoners Worldwide, Three Million in Pre-trial Detention, by Derek Gilna
- Clock is Ticking on Understaffing in Florida’s Prison System, by David Reutter
- Eighth Circuit Upholds $1.25 Million Jury Award for Missouri Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon County Pays $1.1 Million for Death of Detainee Mocked by Guards
- Indiana Jail’s Overdetention of Pretrial Detainees Erroneously Denied Class-action Status
- Lawsuits Challenge Treatment of Pregnant Prisoners at Milwaukee County Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Washington Civil Rights Suit Not Tolled by State Presentment Statute, by Lonnie Burton
- Arkansas Conducts Four Executions in One Week Due to Expiring Lethal Injection Drugs, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Attorney’s 15-Year Sentence for Fake Bribery Scam
- TRO Requires Pennsylvania Jail to Provide Hormone Treatment
- Unable to Find Work, Some Former Prisoners Become Entrepreneurs, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Court Holds PLN Lawsuit Challenging ADX Censorship Not Moot, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: No Summary Judgment for 11-Year ACL Surgery Denial
- HRDC Files Class-action Suit Over CDCR Debit Release Cards, by Derek Gilna
- Kentucky County Jail Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit for $75,000, by Derek Gilna
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Sexual Harassment Lawsuits, Settlements Rock Missouri Department of Corrections, by Derek Gilna
- News in Brief
- Prison Broke: The Missouri Department of Corrections Can’t Escape its Own Worst Habits, by Karen Dillon
More from David Reutter:
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- “Safe Inside” Review Paid for by DOJ Found Prisons Grew Much Deadlier in Five Year-Period, Aug. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Assaults on Staff.
- Ombudsman Report Finds Use of Force Misapplied in Contraband Search, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas.
- Detainees Overpower Guards to Take Control of a North Carolina Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison Rebellion, Overcrowding, Staffing, Security Systems, Assaults on Staff.
- $1.2 Million for Elderly Detainee Shoved Out the Door of Sacramento Jail by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Oklahoma County Jail Fails 12th Health Inspection, Aug. 1, 2026. Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Sanitation, Bedding.
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- BOP Orders Prison Closures Amid Infrastructure Decay and Staff Shortages, Aug. 1, 2026. Transfers, Toxic Fumes/Chemicals, Staffing, Guard Unions.
- Nevada Prisons Are Facing a Medical Crisis Due to Understaffing, Aug. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Eighth Amendment, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $6.35 Million Paid for Ohio Jail Detainee’s Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Malpractice, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Wrongful Use of Force.

