Duck Soup: A look inside Florida’s Civil Commitment Center and the First Amendment
A recent decision out of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals gives us a peek inside the Florida Civil Commitment Center. As the Opinion begins, “James Pesci is a detainee at the Florida Civil Commitment Center (FCCC), a for-profit facility that houses sex offenders involuntarily committed under Florida’s Involuntary Civil Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators Act. Pesci is not a prisoner; like the other roughly 600 residents of FCCC, he has already served out his prison sentence. Instead, he is involuntarily committed because the State has determined that he is a “sexually violent predator” likely to engage in future “acts of sexual violence if not confined in a secure facility for long-term control, care, and treatment.”
Even though his prison sentence expired years ago, Pesci remains confined in the FCCC and chooses to spend his time writing about conditions at the facility by authoring and circulating a newsletter about what takes place at the civil commitment center. Only the facility, through budget cuts, has limited his ability to print out the newsletter so he can share it with others, and no longer allows him to save digital copies on the facility computers so others can read it without the necessity of printing. Those confined there have also been the casualties of other budget cuts and tightening restrictions at the facility, including loss of internet access (remember, these are not people serving a sentence – this is not supposed to be punishment) and reductions in food and health care.
While Pesci loses this appeal, the opinion gives us insight into what it’s like for residents inside the Florida Civil Commitment Center.
NOTE: Pesci’s conviction was 20 years ago.
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This is Superman. I have an appeal pending in the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Bilal v. Benoit, 23-11703. It is premised on the Dr. Pedlla Report written by Tamara Rice Lave , Esq.Out of the University of Miami. What she said is noteworthy. Every resident at FCCC should read it. It requires the FCCC to be shut down. They murdered Dr. Pedilla to keep the FCCC and other SVP Units open.
Over the past several years, the Florida Civil Commitment Center has turned into a full-fledged supermax prison, run by a former correctional officer who has no therapeutic or treatment experience whatsoever. All self-improvement programs – Toastmasters, Twelve Steps, etc. – have been discontinued, and religious programs have been cut back to one per inmate per week. Computer lab sessions, including for legal research for challenging the fact and conditions of the inmates’ confinement at the FCCC, have been reduced to an hour or two weekly. Recreational activities have been virtually eliminated, and a strict “controlled movement” policy has been adopted. Worst of all, the sex offender treatment groups, the inmates’ only hope for release, have been reduced from daily to once or twice per week.
The recent changes at the FCCC are clearly unconstitutional, and conditions are now even worse than a prison. The limitations imposed on James Pesci’s Duck Soup newsletter were not ordered to save money, but to silence him.
The FCCC needs to be investigated, and soon. Otherwise, its name should be changed to the Florida Civil Commitment Gulag.
If they are taking classes improving. Why isn’t the papers sent you court saying No Change. Someone needs to investigate these complaints. Judges and families and State attorneys are reading the reviews annually and seeing the Clinicians saying No Change written on thiere stats. This is grosr misconduct. A second psychiatrist outside is not called either to correspond with the review before it is sent to court. And this is a Rule suppose to be done Annually. Duck soup. Keeping people locked up . Treat and release like the place says it does. Ty
I respectfully suggest that you call Attorney Jeanine Cohen in Tampa. [legal advice moderated]. Jeanine Cohen’s office might be a good stop. She’s the best today. Good luck! 🤞