Florida's prison system came under a harsh spotlight in July 1999, when officers were implicated in the fatal beating of a death row inmate.
Seventeen months later, state auditors have given the system a report card, and the news is largely grim:
Of criminal offenders sentenced to probation as of August, 24 percent, or about 48,000 offenders, have escaped supervision.
Inmate-on-inmate batteries are up 39 percent over last year, and inmate batteries on prison staff are up by 7 percent.
The reorganization launched by Department of Corrections Secretary Michael W. Moore has faltered, creating fear and distrust among employees and failing to save taxpayer dollars.
Moore was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush in January 1999 and began the reorganization several months later. The report, required by state law, was conducted by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, an independent arm of the state Legislature.
In his response to auditors, Moore said his efforts to centralize prison operations have saved money -- $32.9-million, he says -- despite budget cuts by state lawmakers that eliminated 1,200 jobs.
'To compare where the department is now with where it was two years ago, by any yardstick, one would have to rate our efforts as both a fiscal and operational success,' Moore wrote.
In some areas, auditors agreed. For example, while more probationers are escaping supervision, fewer inmates are breaking out. Inmate escapes are down 73 percent, from 324 in 1994-95 to 87 in 1999-2000. All but five of the 87 were recaptured.
Auditors found few problems with prison health care, and noted that Florida's inmate suicide rate -- 8.9 suicides per 100,000 inmates -- was among the nation's lowest. They also predicted long-term success for Moore's reorganization, but added that 'efforts are needed to improve employee morale.'
Overall, however, the report found plenty of room for improvement in the system, which houses 71,233 inmates in 57 prisons and 71 other facilities. State lawmakers allocated nearly $1.7-million to the prison system in the 2000-01 budget.
The report, which will be given to legislative leaders, is available online at http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us.