Comments on: Could Century Correctional Institution Be Privatized? Or Closed?

By: Carlota Tyson

Carlota Tyson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:48:54 +0000

I have a son serving 10 years under the 10/20/life law. He was a young executive with a bright and promising future. He went through a divorce which turned his life upside down. Got involved in drugs, held up a porno shop in Sarasota, his first offense. The DA said she was going to make an example of him and sentenced him to 10 years although we wanted a trial by jury, she offered him 10 yrs and threathened to give him life if he didn’t take it, although we wanted a trial, his attorney, a crook worked out a plea without our consent or my son’s with the DA. We lived 3 hrs away from Sarasota and on Friday he was taken to court unbeknowns to us and offered the deal with the threat, terrified that he would get life he was forced to accept. He is serving time at Graceville Correctional. We drive 5 hours to go see him and wait 2 hours just to go in because the staff is so inept and indolent.

We have spent over $60,000 in attorneys, who have taken our money and done nothing. I send my son about $100 a month for his canteen. I know my son has learned his lesson.

I would like to see the politicans and some attorneys doing time. These are the real criminals and we are their victims.

By: bigjon

bigjon — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:01:49 +0000

century is a horrible place to work.

By: Joyce

Joyce — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 10:44:29 +0000

I think Gov. Crist and the rest of the politicans in Florida need to not only re-think this 85% of sentence but, also the way some of the laws of Florida are interpreted. My son is in prison under a law that really should not have been applied to him, “Felon in posession of a firearm”. He found this gun in the bedroom that he shared with his fiance, was walking towards the kitchen with the gun to ask her if she knew where it had come from, when the gun went off, the bullet entered his left-side, came out and then entered his left arm. He had been trying to lock the safety when this happened. Now mind you that there were 2 small children in the house and he was trying to do something thaty would protect them. It turns out that my now daughter-in-law brought the gun home from the place she was working taking care of an elderly Alzheimer’s patient. My daughter-in-law had feared for her safety and didn’t know what else to do at that time. She had planned on calling the woman’s daughter, that lived in Ga., but my son found the gun first. The State of Florida sentenced him to seven (7) years in prison for shooting himself. His children will have graduated high school before he is released, my daughter-in-law has had to suffer through breast cancer and a masectomy, she has no financial support except for SSI because her doctors will not allow her to work right now. She and my grandchildren live with me and my husband but that is all of the financial support we can give them. We have pleaded with the judge to commute his sentence back to the original plea bargain of three (3) years but to no avail. I have contacted the govenor’s office and recieved an email back that said the Govenor could do NOTHING about this, which we all know is a crock, because he has the power to release anyone from prison if he cares to. My son spending seven years in prison for this crime is in its self a crime.

By: Employee

Employee — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 03:37:29 +0000

and i totally agree with the whole re-entry thing come in and go back they have it made who else is gonna feed them.

By: Employee

Employee — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 03:35:28 +0000

The 2nd largest prison by population is run by GEO and where do you think the scum gets shipped to when doc wants to unload them? Im not trying to start a bs comment section. More than 1/2 of the inmates at the prison i work at are 9999 trd inmates. look them up on dc website dont just take my word for it. now blackwater and furthermore most of the people that work there are from doc with many years in. everyone talks about how bad crosby was look at where his top 2 boys from when he was warden at fsp ended up. tallahassee. the system stays the same.

By: co sgt

co sgt — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:56:42 +0000

politicians think that private run prisons are the anser i dont think it is im sure they are not gona take some scum bag who has a life sentance for raping some kid or who has killed so many people u cant even imagine all they want is the person who is in prison for some petty crime where we have to deal with the killers and rapers and scum of the earth surei bet geo is really great im sure it is i would think it was too if i only dealt with minor crimes everyday we as state correctional officers go to work everyday to protect the lifes of the general public not knowing is the day that we have a riot and not ever go home agin i agree the food really sucks but it isnt our fault it is some stupid politician who forces the soybean products on the department to supposedly save money and i agree with some people not all inmates are bad people some jus made a mistake or was screwed by the system but the big majority of inmates deserve to spend the rest of there lifes behind those fences and never leave agin. I know sinse i have worked for the department i have seen ppl cum and go and the sad thing is that over 50 to 60 % mabe even more inmates who get out within a yr sumtimes less come back most of the time for the exact same crime and this iis not at fault of the department but rather the inmate does wana change his surroundings or his lifestyle

By: Employee

Employee — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:04:14 +0000

I always love reading what people say that really have no clue. I worked for DOC for 6 years and have worked for Geo for 2 and can tell you that both are secure. They both have pros/cons. As anywhere would, I don’t want anyone in Doc to lose their job alot of my fam, friends still work there, and yes GEO does pay the power and maintenance Doc pays for the inmate that’s it so before some of you go out and bash what you don’t know educate yourself with facts.

By: The voice of common sense

The voice of common sense — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:53:16 +0000

A correctional officer,
Are you trying to say that EVERY single person in there is guilty? I know they have been found guilty in a court of law, but did they all actually commit the crime. If so, you, sir, are a liar. The facts are that many are not there because they did something illegal.
Really, CO? Really!?! My son is in prison now (and he wasn’t even in town when the crime occurred but he was convicted anyway). I have to pay $10 per doctor visit and $5 per prescription. Since he has some serious medical issues, that can run to a little over $100 a month! And once he is prescribed a medically necessary medication, it may be two or three WEEKS before he even GETS it!
I have to pay for his underwear, tshirts, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc. He costs me a heck of a lot MORE in prison than he did living at home! Not to mention when other inmates steal his stuff and COs who don’t want to be bothered refuse to do anything about it. Then I have to pay for all of it all over again.
You seem to have a problem with tarring everyone with the same brush. Life isn’t like that, sir. Many of these inmates HAD jobs and worked everyday before being arrested. And yet you say that ” do you think that most of these inmates would have a job if they were not in prison….NO!!! if that were the case they would have been at work or with their families instead of committing crimes” Interesting…..my son was with me in another state visiting family members when the crime he was convicted of was committed and yet he is still a guest of the state. And he DID work, 70-85 hours every single week. After six years on the job, he took his very first vacation and came home to being arrested and sent to prison for something he could not possibly have done.
You say that if inmates cared about their families, they wouldn’t NEED any of these things? Ok, I’ll grant you the cigarette point, but how can you say they wouldn’t need to go to the doctor, receive life-saving medications, have underwear on their rears, have deodorant and shampoo and toothpaste and a toothbrush and all the other things we pay for? Are you serious? Don’t tell me they get those things free because I’ll challenge you to use the products that are free. See how you like having a rash under your arms from deodorant so bad that you can’t put your arms down, or trying to brush your teeth with a brush that the bristles are falling out of (in your mouth) and toothpaste that doesn’t even “suds up”. Or soap that leaves a nasty residue on your body so that you’d rather shower without and never get clean than have to deal with that horrible nasty feeling all day long. Or shampoo that makes your hair so dry and brittle that it falls out. I could go on all day about the problems with that school of thought.

Dude, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I understand that you have a job to do, but let me tell you……prison is very expensive for the families of inmates.

By: a correctional officer

a correctional officer — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:20:39 +0000

to the voice of the common sense……you have lost your mind…….it is the inmates choice to be where they are. who pays for the electric to give them heat, light, hot water……..who pays for the water for their showers they get every day. their clothes they wear….their soap, toothbrushes, toilet paper…..you get the point! the tax payer pays it! and as far as their health care…they get yearly exams and a dr visit for a problem they may be having is only $4.00…wow what a rip off right. the correctional officers co pay is 20 dollars for a dr visit and 25 co pay for prescriptions plus we have to pay a monthly charge. do you honestly think that most of these inmates would even go to the doctor if they were out on the street…NO! do you think that most of these inmates would have a job if they were not in prison….NO!!! if that were the case they would have been at work or with their families instead of committing crimes. do you think that most of these inmates care about their families….no or they would not need cigarettes, etc……in some countries the families have to bring the inmates food daily, they have no hot water, no heat…..so it seems your family members have it pretty good considering most have taken something from someone else….property, money, life, innocence. we have American soldiers at war risking their lives everyday living in unbearable weather conditions while they sleep in tents and eat mre meals and they all have family that they miss….its funny how they don’t whine and complain….and they protect my freedom as well as yours….and the inmates…who by the way chose to disregard the laws that our men and women have fought for!!!!!

By: Privatizing WORKS!

Privatizing WORKS! — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:30:45 +0000

I work for a defense contractor who took over a small sector that was previously operated by government civil service employees. The government used 9 employees to do what we now do with 5 employees, a 40% reduction. The savings alone from employee salaries is significant by itself, but once you add in the money saved on insurance, paid time off, mandatory govt. paid holidays, liberal leave policies, etc, the overall cost reduction was closer to 50%. If the public only knew how much tax money is being wasted on government civil service type run business, they would be quick to move towards privitisings these businesses.