Error in Electronic Docket Tolls Appeal Deadline by The court of appeals for the Eleventh circuit held that a lawyer's reliance on a district court's electronic docketing system to monitor a case's progress would toll the 30 day time limit in which to file a notice of appeal. As state …
Prison Health Services Refuses to Pay by The U.S. court of appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that a forum selection clause in an indemnity agreement between the Sheriff of Polk Co., Florida and Prison Health Services (PHS), which allowed contract disputes to be brought in the state circuit court, …
Florida State Prison Halloween Melee by According to a report in The Orlando Sentinel, six Florida State Prison guards were injured during a Halloween incident at Florida State Prison. The disturbance began when FSP prisoner William Stiles set his mattress on fire. Other prisoners complained of respiratory problems because of …
Nine Florida Guards Injured in Scuffle by Heightened tensions between prisoners and guards stemming from the July beating death of Frank Valdes at the hands of Florida State Prison guards may have contributed to a September clash between prisoners and guards at the Union Correctional Center in Raiford. According to …
Florida DOC Curtails Use of Stun Belts by After several Florida circuit judges ordered the state prison system to stop using stun belts on prisoners, DOC Chief of Operations James Upchurch ordered the routine use of the of the belts temporarily discontinued, the Palm Beach Post reported in its 23 …
Valdes Murder Witness Exiled, Muzzled by On the cover of the October 1999 PLN was an article describing the July 9, 1999 beating death of "X-Wing" prisoner Frank Valdes at the hands of Florida State Prison (FSP) guards. The day of the killing Valdes' partner and fellow X-Wing prisoner William …
CSC Cancels Florida Juvenile Facility Contract by Correctional Services Corp. (CSC) announced Aug. 23, 1999 that it was withdrawing from an $8.7 million-a-year contract to operate the Pahokee Youth Development Center, a 350 bed Florida juvenile facility, 8 months before the contract is due to expire. The announcement came six …
Many Florida Prison Guards Are Law Breakers by After a review of state records, two Florida newspapers have revealed that state and county prison guards are twice as likely to be disciplined for violations of standards than police officers and that nearly ten percent of Florida state prison guards have …
Insanity, Brutality and Fatality: Florida's X-Wing Marks the End of the Line by Dan Pens Upon the ranks of such as we, They enforce their mastery. And yet we bleed the same as they, The tie that binds us day to day. The public interest uppermost, So some say while …
Death Row Eulogy by Van Poyck, William By William Van Poyck On July 17, 1999, my friend and co-defendant, Frank Valdes, was stomped and beaten to death in his X-Wing cell by a large group of Florida State Prison (FSP) guards. As FSP prisoners know only too well, this beating …
Worst of the Worst? by Prison officials have attempted to justify the cruel and inhumane conditions of confinement in control units by claiming that only the "worst of the worst" are confined in them. PLN editor Paul Wright has made the rounds of Washington state's control units. At the Intensive …
Florida Jail Workers Busted in Bribery Investigation by On Dec. 4, 1998, fourteen Miami-Dade County jail employees were indicted on state bribery charges and federal marijuana and cocaine trafficking conspiracy charges. Five other jail workers were suspended pending the outcome of internal investigations. The indictments followed a year-long probe by …
Florida Jail Guard Found Guilty in Prisoner's Death by On December 22, 1998, former Osceola County, Florida jail guard Greg Wilson was convicted of manslaughter in connection with the March 1997 death of prisoner Daniel B. Sagers. Wilson and several other guards, including Wilson Santiago and Gail Edwards, were trying …
Tough on Prisoners Florida Sheriff Avoids Prison by In the March, 1999, issue of PLN we reported the arrest of Marion County, Florida, sheriff Ken Ergle, on corruption charges. Ergle had previously gained notoriety for housing county jail prisoners in tents under draconian conditions and charging them "rent" and a …
Prison Realty Board Member Settles Ethics Complaints by Prof. Charles W. Thomas, director of the Private Corrections Project at the University of Florida and a board member of Prison Realty Corp., has long been criticized for his close connections with the private prison companies he researches [see: "University professor shills …
Denial of Exercise Is "Atypical and Significant" by Denial of Exercise Is "Atypical and Significant" The U.S. court of appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that Florida state prisoners, who are being held in Close Management (CM) status, have a state-created liberty interest in outdoor exercise, which is protected by …
Florida Guards Acquitted in Brutality Case by Alex Friedmann Florida prisoner John Edwards, 28, an HIV+ double-murderer serving a life sentence, was transferred to the Charlotte Corr. Institution (CCI) on Aug. 18, 1997 after biting a Zephyrhills prison guard on the cheek. According to federal prosecutors, once Edwards arrived at …
Florida Prison Erupts by On March 17, 1998, shortly after Hendry Correctional Institution (HCI) began feeding the prisoners supper, a melee broke out on the yard in front of the chowhall. Within moments, several guards, including the shift supervisor, were lying unconscious in the dirt. The seeds of discord were …
Juveniles Held Hostage for Profit by CSC in Florida by Alex Friedmann According to a consultant hired by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Pahokee Youth Development Center (Juvenile prison) operated by the Correctional Services Corporation (CSC) kept ten juvenile detainees beyond their release dates for no other reason …
Florida Porn Ban Challenged by On December 31, 1998, an amended complaint was filed in the US district court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami challenging the Florida Department of Corrections' ban on sexually explicit material. In 1998 the Florida DOC changed Florida Administrative Code (FAC) 33-3.012 to …
