Rural North Florida counties worry about ‘devastating’ prison closures
Dara Kam, Senior reporter, News Service of Florida
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A plan to shutter up to four state prisons is alarming officials in Florida’s rural regions where correctional institutions have played an outsized role in providing jobs and supporting businesses for decades.
Senate President Wilton Simpson’s proposal to consolidate prisons and demolish four facilities drew bipartisan pushback when it was released recently as lawmakers began to piece together next year’s state budget.
Simpson, R-Trilby, has defended consolidation and closures, saying the plan is designed to resuscitate a prison system in crisis. The Department of Corrections for years has grappled with decaying infrastructure, an exceedingly high worker turnover rate and staffing vacancies so dire they now pose security threats to employees and inmates.
Governor Ron DeSantis is calling on the federal government to ensure the transfer of undocumented immigrants to the custody of ICE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement once they’ve completed their prison sentences.
DeSantis seeks to assure criminal aliens released from prison don t commit more crimes Dave Berman and Eric Rogers, Florida Today
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced a series of measures aimed at helping guard against prisoners who entered the country illegally from committing more crimes after their release.
During a news conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville, DeSantis called on the Biden administration to enforce detainers that ensure the transfer of inmates who are in the U.S. illegally to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, for deportation upon completion of their prison terms.
Joe Henderson: Florida prison funding crisis could become public safety issue floridapolitics.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from floridapolitics.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.