Skip to main content

Protecting Incarcerated Loved Ones in Florida: Inmate Injury and Wrongful Death



Having a loved one placed in one of the 50 major correctional institutions in Florida is a difficult thing for families and friends; this difficulty is only exacerbated when they learn from their loved ones that their rights have been violated, or worse they learn their loved one has been injured or has died unexpectedly due, perhaps, to injustice.

Many times, when inmates suffer from injuries due to negligence, wrongful deaths, or other injustices, this leaves families and friends feeling helpless when trying to get answers from the jail or prison system. What they should remember is: just because their loved ones are incarcerated doesn't mean they've lost their rights; also, these rights can be upheld and injustices can be rectified with legal help.

According to Find Law, the rights of inmates include:
  • "The right to humane facilities and conditions 
  •  The right to be free from sexual crimes 
  •  The right to be free from racial segregation 
  •  The right to express condition complaints 
  •  The right to assert their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act 
  •  The right to medical care and attention as needed 
  •  The right to appropriate mental health care 
  •  The right to a hearing if they are to be moved to a mental health facility" 
While these rights are granted to inmates, many times they aren't adhered to, which can lead to injury and even death for inmates. Behind the closed doors of jails and prisons, correctional officers and medical staff, all to often, may feel they can get away with mistreating inmates because they judge them for simply being in there; even though inmates in jail might not even be convicted yet, and the U.S. Constitution grants all inmates the rights we listed above.

Florida Inmates and the Privatized Health Care Problem


According to the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) website, there were 96,253 inmates incarcerated in their 50 major correctional institutions and numerous satellite facilities across the state in the fiscal year 2017-18.

To put this in perspective, out of the 50 U.S. States, Florida has the 10th highest incarceration rate per population and the 3rd largest inmate population overall.

And when it comes to inmate deaths in the fiscal year 2017-18, according to the FDC's website, Florida had a total of 481 deaths: 331 natural, 85 accident, 8 homicide, 17 suicide, 40 pending – this is the highest amount of deaths recorded in the last 5 years, even with a slight decrease of inmate population since the fiscal year 2013-14, from 100,942 to 96,253.

An article found on Prison Legal News, called: "Florida Prisoner Deaths Spike with Privatized Prisoner Health Care", written on April 25th, 2017 by David Reutter, explains more:

"With the advent of privatized prisoner health care in Florida, a spike in deaths has hit levels not seen in 10 years.
...Concern is an understatement for what has transpired since privatization of prisoner health care was fully adopted. By January 2014 – or roughly 100 days after the prisons profiteers took over prisoner care – the monthly prisoner death count shot to a 10-year high of 36 individuals, reported the Palm Beach Post.

...PLN has been publishing evidence to prove that privatized prison health care provided by these companies is definitely more about profit than it is about providing proper care, which results in deaths, disfigurement, and unnecessary pain to prisoners subjected to profiteering that masquerades as taxpayer savings."


As of 2012, Florida is one of 20 states that have privatized prison health care, and it doesn't take much research into this topic for one to see this has been a disaster for inmates. Families and friends should keep this in mind when advocating for their incarcerated loved ones in a Florida correctional institution.

The article quoted from above details multiple incidences of medical negligence, malpractice, wrongful deaths, and inmate injuries occurring from injustices and right's violations within jails and prisons in Florida alone.

Along with a sharp spike in deaths, one could surmise there are also increases with negligence, preventable injuries, and other injustices occurring within Florida's jails and prisons. With the incentive of profit being paramount in prison health care, the inmate's rights we listed above are all too often being broken and disregarded.

Ultimately, it's up to the families and friends of incarcerated loved ones to advocate for them, in order to ensure their rights are being respected and upheld. When the authorities in charge are being held accountable by the law, they'll make more of an effort to protect the inmate in question. And if injustices have occurred already, liable parties should be held accountable and pay the price.

Beyond Medical Injustices


Receiving adequate medical care is only one of the rights inmates have; many times, injustices in jail or prison are in the form of:
  • excessive force from correctional officers and police 
  • denial of complaints 
  • being subjected to inhumane conditions 
  • disregarded pleas for safety from sexual crimes 
  • disregarded pleas for safety from violent inmates 
Serving time in a jail or prison away from society, family, and friends, is punishment enough, inmates shouldn't be subjected to further punishment because of purposeful or accidental negligence of those working for the FDC.

And in the case of inmates in jails, many times, they haven't even been convicted of a crime yet. Ultimately, no matter what the crime or state of conviction is, inmates still have rights that should be respected and upheld. If and when these rights are disregarded, unfortunate and tragic injuries and wrongful deaths can and do occur.

What to Do When Injustices Occur?


If an inmate's rights have or may have been violated, family or friends should contact a lawyer with experience and expertise in dealing with correctional institutions and Florida law.

Many times, inmates don't understand or know the extent of their rights, which can lead them to disregard and not demand their rights be upheld; family and friends of inmates may also not understand their loved one's rights in jail or prison. By consulting a Florida lawyer that does understand inmate rights and how to uphold them legally, injustices can be remedied and compensation can be paid to deserving parties.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I will always stand for America

The united states of America is my home, it is where I have my citizenship in the State of Oregon. I left the unites states lower case because that is how it used to be before the federal government became more important than the states that formed it.  There are many reasons to want to leave America, yet the reasons not to are stronger. This is my country too, along with every other citizen. The difference between me and many other citizens is I love the good part about America, the essence of what it is.  Many citizens hate America and are working very hard to change it into something else; what they don’t realize is America is special because of those things they are trying to destroy.  Regardless of the haters, many people like myself still love this country, for what it is at its heart. We don’t want to change it into something that has proven to not work, we want to appreciate and enjoy it for what it is.  With all the wokeness, I’ve struggled to love America, as my perception of

A Guide to Winter Fishing on the Oregon Coast

When it comes to finding the perfect winter fishing destination, the Oregon Coast won't leave anglers disappointed. The mild weather coupled with an abundance of fishing locations and fish make Oregon's coastline a perfect place for winter fishing adventures. What's the Weather like on the Oregon Coast in Winter? The average temperatures in the winter on the Oregon Coast are around: high 51° F and low 42° F . Other weather factors include high wind gusts up to 80 mph and the bulk of the annual rainfall of 75" coming down from October to May. Basically, the wintertime weather on the Oregon Coast is rugged enough to filter out the fair weather visitors, yet mild enough to welcome anglers looking for some of the best fishing in the world without the crowds. Types of Fish to Catch and Where Weather is mostly a secondary consideration for anglers visiting the Oregon Coast; their first consideration focuses on the types of fish there are to catch. I

The Information Machine vs. the Creative Thinker

The AI-curated online world has created a new breed, yet some hold on to their creative uniqueness despite the pervasive trend. The stormtrooper gazes at the flower wondering with awe at the natural creativity found within it. The internet is conditioning human thought and behavior and creating information machines among us. These are humans who have given over to the influences of the hive mind.  The hive mind is the personification of the internet and the big data brain behind its user-friendly interfaces. The hive mind is the holistic sum of the digital age and the internet of things (IoT). On the other side of the human spectrum is the Luddite creative thinker who is detached from the influences of the hive mind, even though part of it in some measure.  The most important aspect of the creative thinker is they are not led by the influences of the hive mind, at least not overtly and consciously.  The information machine-human is keen to know the secrets of the hive mind; they obsess

NewsBreak vs. Medium/30-day Comparison

February was the first month for me being monetized at NewsBreak and the second month for Medium. The results are in and they are drastically different. In this article, I’ll share the details and some thoughts about them. To make this easier with how both of these writing sites show stats, let’s compare the stats from Feb. 4 to March 4, or the last 30 days. NewsBreak Articles: 20 Views: 60k Likes: 1,104 Money made: $440 Medium Articles: 14 Views: 1,734 Claps: 124 Money made: $10.75 ----------------- Although my Medium account goes back to August 2018, I’ve only started seriously writing there since early Dec. 2022 (three months ago). I started writing at NewsBreak in late Dec. 2022. Here are some stats on my overall efforts at these platforms: NewsBreak Followers: 803 Articles: 44 Medium Followers: 417 Articles: 69 -------------- While I’m grateful for any money made on both platforms, the difference is fairly drastic. NewsBreak is a place where you can actually make decent money for