Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article211652004.html#storylink=cpy
Three weeks ago, 100 men lived in the dorms at Turning Point Bridge Community Release Center in Pompano Beach. During the day they held jobs serving food at local restaurants or building shipping pallets at a local plant. In the evenings, they worked on themselves, taking classes and preparing for better futures.
Then, from one day to the next, the dorms emptied. In the first two weeks of May, all 100 men went back to prison.
But not for committing a crime.
The heartbreaking moment when inmates boarded yellow buses at Turning Point Bridge to be shuttled from work-release back to state prisons represents the first blow of devastating budget cuts by the Florida Department of Corrections. The sweeping cuts targeted a variety of programs for inmates, including mental health treatment, transitional housing services, substance abuse services and re-entry centers.
Disgraceful, these were men trying to better themselves. Shame on you Florida. The more inmates the more money in the crooked people’s pockets.
I thought Florida was concerned about the problem of mass shooters? I guess not. These people will still get out at some point and be very angry with society.
So many questions. Budget cuts….out men who could be productive and pay taxes in prison where the state is responsible for all expenses. By the way, are they retiring to private prisons? What about the economic impact on the businesses they worked for AND would those businesses do that again knowing it could happen again. What kind of future are they building in prison vs working in the outside world.
I guess old Forrest Gump had it right. Stupid is as stupid does.
that’s’ FLORIDUH’ for you!!! Stupid is as stupid does.
That’s what is wrong with the system, there are people that are out there trying to better themselves and all we get is slapped in the face. Seems like no matter hard we try there is always another obstacle standing in the way. I feel like there is no such thing as justice or 2nd chances. I also feel like the state of Fl is making it rougher for the people who want to be model citizens. There has got to be light somewhere out there.
Yet there was no changes to the money allocated to GEO Group, reforming doesn’t fit GEO Group business model so I am sure they lobbied to have those programs cut.
Whew. So much to say here but I won’t try and beat any dead horses.
For starters, I can tell you from serving my time, that if you’re an SO you can FORGET getting ANY kind of treatment program or getting sent to any work release or transitional program. You are deemed too much of a RISK to be working on the side of the road digging ditches or living in a transition house working at a regular job. Besides, the sex offender treatment industrial complex is licking their chops waiting for you to get out to serve your umpteen years of probation so they can milk you for all the measley money you make from your paycheck to pay for years and years of therapy that they WON’T release you easily from. And of course, you have to pay your probation and monitoring costs which is oh, about $250 a month. And then you have to take a polygraph every year which is also the same amount. Like, who has $250 extra laying around to just throw at a polygrapher. But if you’re a murderer, thief, gang member, drug dealer, fraudster, drunk driver who killed someone, wife beater, or gun thug, you can EASILY get FREE treatment in prison and betterment classes that the state pays for. And 99% of the time, they will NOT be on probation so they will not have to worry about paying for all of that stuff when they get out. OH, and let’s not forget that these class of people who are obviously better than us and least likely to recommit their crimes (tongue in cheek), can go and live wherever they want and have access to anything they need to get back on track with their lives.
So, my response to this article is simply, “sorry, not sorry.” I’m sorry those guys have to go back to prison, but I’m not sorry because if I was in there still, I, and anybody else with a sex charge would be “disqualified” from getting these services, so these guys are getting a little taste of the disappointment that we have to deal with. And don’t feel too bad for the income they’re losing. They’ll be able to go back to their dorms and find out who the SOs are and just begin their extortion and intimidation game to get as much canteen as they need. No worries.
But here’s a thought that will NEVER enter the minds of Prick Scott or Coolie Jones. Since you’re so strapped for money because you’re trying to provide health care for inmates…..um, HOW ABOUT DECREASING THE NUMBER OF INMATES YOU HAVE IN YOUR PRISONS???!!!!!!! Duhhhhhhhhhhh. But that’s just too simple for Flori-duhhhh to comprehend.
Agreed – also they could stop lying about the number of sex offenders LIVING IN FLORIDA by removing those who are no longer LIVING IN FLORIDA!
That would automatically cut the registry in half – really – yes REALLY!
Next create an way of being removed by the list not only for budgetary reasons but because it is the American thing to do – every American citizen who has paid their debt deserves a second chance – Simple As That.
Of course none of that will happen because sex offenders are too VALUABLE to politicians and law enforcement as propaganda pawns for ALL the following reasons:
But why would the government do that – what do they get out of it? Plenty – here are just a few…
1 Makes the public easier to control with fear they are surrounded by danger that only the government can stop
2 Gives politicians the appearance that they are being “tough on crime.”
Tack on a new punishment to sex offender punishment and get other bills passed along with it!
3 Handy diversion for politicians when they want to hide something (sex scandal comes to mind) or divert attention from something else!
4 Provides law enforcement easy work to do and steady work (monitor and ever growing list for life)
5 Police have “low hanging fruit” to watch instead of having to work and find real criminals!
6 Helps the USA at #1 place for the country with the most citizens locked up in the world!
7 POWER AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT to people like Ron and Lauren Book
Those are just a few of the reasons the registry in Florida is still going strong even with data and proof it is useless and actually causes a plethora of negative conditions – NO ONE wins except those in power who profit! Find out more at SexOffenderTruth.com
Agreed. Very well put. So then, what is the solution and how do we put it into action?