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| Lawmakers irate over prison re-entry closings |
| By tampabay.com |
| Published: 03/05/2012 |
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Lawmakers irate over prison re-entry closings The final days of a legislative session is the worst time for a state agency to create a full-blown political disaster, but that's what happened Friday with the Department of Corrections. Struggling with a $79 million budget deficit, DOC decided to save $1 million by closing two faith-based re-entry centers that teach inmates work and life skills as they prepare to rejoin society. The centers are run by the for-profit Bridges of America and are in Manatee and Broward counties. The head of the budget conference committee on prisons, Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, is from Broward. Bogdanoff demanded that Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker explain the decision at a hearing Friday, but Tucker was absent, and two aides were on the receiving end of wrath from Bogdanoff and Reps. James Grant, Rich Glorioso, Eric Eisnaugle andRay Pilon, all Republicans. Bogdanoff was frustrated because closing the centers means 300 inmates will be returned to the general prison population, a point DOC Deputy Secretary for OperationsMike Crews confirmed. "There's a strong chance that most, if not all, of those individuals in those programs would go back into those institutions," Crews testified. Ironically, in a recent message to all DOC employees, Tucker touted the many advantages of re-entry programs as an effective way to reduce recidivism. Bridges has run the centers since 2005, but Crews said there is no specific legislative appropriation to run them. Bridges is represented by a half-dozen lobbyists, including Barney Bishop III, Mark Flynn and Fred Leonhardt. The provider is considering filing a lawsuit to keep the centers open. Read More. |
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