Seven (7)  of Florida’s prisons are slated for closure by July, including a major institution at Raiford and a Broward women’s prison, according to a Florida Department of Corrections press release.  However, this will not give inmates any hope of release or possibility of parole when, in fact, this would be the ideal time for our state government to Reinstatement Parole.  Not only would parole reduce the prison population, which will still remain at 103,000 after the consolidation but it would also put a significant dent in the state’s $3 billion dollar budget shortfall and give those who are serving extreme sentences, for a not so extreme crime, a second chance at life on the outside.

As a result of declining prison admissions and excess bed space, the Florida Department of Corrections will be closing seven prisons and four work/forestry camps by July 1, 2012, as part of a statewide consolidation plan. No inmates will be released early as a result of this decision, and there will remain adequate bed space to accommodate projected prison admissions, which have steadily decreased since FY 2007-08.

The prisons being closed are Broward Correctional Institution (CI) in Ft. Lauderdale, Demilly CI in Polk City, Gainesville CI in Alachua County, Hillsborough CI in Riverview near Tampa, Indian River CI in Vero Beach, Jefferson CI in Monticello and New River CI (both units) in Raiford. In addition, River Junction Work Camp in Chattahoochee, Caryville Work Camp near Northwest Florida Reception Center in Washington County, Hendry Work Camp in Immokalee, and Levy Forestry Camp near Lowell CI in Ocala will also be closed.

“Declining prison admissions has led to a surplus of prison beds, allowing us to pare down our budget shortfall by consolidating and closing our older, less efficient facilities. We are committed to placing as many affected staff as possible in vacant positions for which they are qualified,” said Secretary Ken Tucker. Inmates will be relocated to institutions with vacancies that meet their custody, profile, health, education and risk assessment needs. 

To determine which prisons and facilities would be affected, Secretary Tucker assembled an internal workgroup of subject matter experts, who developed criteria for evaluating facilities based on several factors including: facility mission, cost per inmate, maintenance and construction costs, community and employee impact, inmate labor squads, security, education and programs, and volunteers.  These criteria were vetted through a variety of public and private sector entities. The Department employed quantitative measures to create an Institutional Scoring Sheet to objectively measure the pros and cons for each institution. 

Below are some details about the prisons that are affected.

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