My Father Went Off the Deep End and I Ended Up in Jail
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I am an inmate at Liberty Correctional in Bristol, Fla. I am going on my 12th year of a 40-year-sentence for a nonviolent, first-time offense I committed 60 days into my 17th birthday.
Jacksonville Organization Attacks Violence, Blight With Holistic Approach
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On Nov. 14, Gary Ervin attended a vigil for a young life cut tragically short by gun violence. Days earlier, a 15-year-old was killed in a shooting near a Burger King on the northwest side of Jacksonville.
Paul Tutwiler’s Mission of Revitalizing Communities Takes Him Back to His Roots
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A black and white picture of schoolchildren hangs on the wall of Paul Tutwiler’s office. He’s not related to any of the children who attended a segregated school for black people in the early 20th century, nor does he know their descendants. Yet those young faces strike a chord in him.
Florida’s Criminal Justice System Is Expensive, Unsafe and a Humanitarian Crisis
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Five years ago, I was an ordinary mom and like most people I knew nothing about the criminal justice system and quite honestly, like most, I didn’t care. It didn’t affect me.
Florida Legislature Must Spend to Further Reform Our Prisons, Help Offenders
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Florida’s prison system is the third largest in the nation with approximately 95,000 inmates and nearly 164,000 offenders on probation. It’s clear that Florida does a tremendous job of incarceration but we have neglected rehabilitation for far too long. The one question we must ask ourselves when considering how to make long-term improvements to our criminal justice system is, “Are we fostering an environment for Floridians to leave prison better than when they entered?”
Our Florida County Learned How to Prevent Many Rearrests of Mentally Ill
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One doesn’t have to look far to find documented reports on the problem of mentally ill residents around the nation cycling through the criminal justice system without the benefit of mental health treatment. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, law enforcement and jails have become the nation’s default psychiatric crisis response system.
Florida Legislature Needs to Find Courage to Change Law
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In 1999, the Florida Legislature reimposed mandatory minimum sentences for drug trafficking after repealing most of those same laws in 1993.
We Need to Examine Why Many People Released From Prison Then Die Quickly
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I remember every collapsing sensation in my body when I received the phone call notifying me of his death. I was 22, he was 23 — my boyfriend had died in a freak hiking accident. His loss was devastating to all of us who loved him. His loss was also tragic for the communities he could have continued to contribute to. The future potential of this young man was never fully realized. But I take comfort knowing that up until my boyfriend’s death, he was living freely, wildly and pursuing his dreams.
Florida Commission’s Supervision of Parole Can Turn on Personality, Perception
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While most Florida Commission on Offender Review decisions are made during hearings without the inmate present, parolees whose supervision terms are being reviewed sometimes do show up in person.
Prosecutors Champion Legitimate, Meaningful Justice Reforms
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As a career prosecutor I have spent the better part of 45 years working in all areas of the criminal justice system. I started as a juvenile court prosecutor at a time when our juvenile justice system was not nearly as adversarial as it is now but rather seemed more interested, as such cases are legally styled, in the best interest of the child.