Next week, Julie Jones will become the new secretary of Florida's Department of Corrections – and she has a big job ahead of her.
The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and Florida's rate is in the top ten among states. The Florida Department of Corrections has a $2 billion annual budget. It includes about $50 a day for each of its more than 100,000 inmates. The Department of Juvenile Justice is separate from the adult prison system, and it spends an additional $150 per day per detainee.
90.7's Amy Kiley discussed the issues facing Florida's criminal justice system with Professor Hugh Potter, interim chair of the UCF Department of Criminal Justice; David Cramer, director of His Healing Hand Ministries and Final Freedom Aftercare; and Natalie Kato of Human Rights Watch, who helped craft Florida's new juvenile sentencing law.
