TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Prison reform advocates on Thursday demanded that Gov. Rick Scott call a special session of the Florida Legislature to reverse emergency funding cuts they argue are exacting an inhumane toll on inmates and their families.
- Prison reform advocates demand special session
- Advocates wants legislators to reverse emergency funding cuts
- They believe the cuts take inhumane toll on inmate, families
Standing in front of the Governor's Mansion, the advocates challenged Scott to double down on his statement last week that he's "disappointed" the Republican-controlled legislature failed to meet his request for $169 million in new prison system funding.
A special session to reverse the $28 million in emergency cuts that took effect last week, while unlikely, would allow lawmakers to focus on the budget crisis gripping the Florida Department of Corrections without being distracted by competing priorities.
Last week's reductions force a dramatic curtailment of substance abuse treatment programs that cater to inmates and Floridians on parole and probation.
The programs' supporters say they have had a measurable impact in reducing crime and recidivism and warn of an uptick in both if the cuts aren't reversed.
And inmate visitation programs, already scaled back during a previous round of cuts, are suffering, too.
"We’re expecting to see something done, and if not, we’re not going to stand still," said Judy Thompson, who leads the Forgotten Majority inmate rights group. "We love our husbands, our mothers, our daughters, our sons, and we are not going to stand for not being able to visit with them."
Despite the urgency of Thursday's gathering, however, the governor and legislative leaders don't appear inclined to tackle the prison funding issue anytime soon.
Scott, who will leave office in seven months due to term limits, is now spending most of his time campaigning to unseat three-term Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.
Still, he has made it clear he disagrees with the legislature's decision.
"The process is, I get to propose a budget and then the legislature decides what they're going to put into it," Scott told reporters in Jacksonville last week.
He added, "The Department of Corrections is working hard, the recidivism rate is down, as you know, our crime rate is down, but I'm disappointed the legislature didn't fund all of it."