Florida Prisons

On the first and third Tuesday of every month, dozens of volunteers for Gainesville Books to Prisoners gather at the Civic Media Center to sort, package and mail books to prisoners across Florida.

Among the titles that prison staff deemed were too inflammatory for incarcerated Floridians to read include cook books, French and Arabic language dictionaries, and a guide on how to survive solitary confinement.

A literary journal penned by incarcerated people in Florida is being presented at the Miami Book Fair.

A local Imam joins us to talk about how Ramadan will be different this year. Florida International University is training more sexual assault nurse examiners. How has that program been working out? Plus, a woman who is devoting her life to teaching the art of writing to people who are incarcerated.

As Florida Prison Poet Laureate, Christopher Malec serves as the voice from behind prison walls.

A top corrections official offered a stark picture of Florida’s prison system Wednesday, warning that lawmakers must boost salaries of corrections workers to avert a looming disaster as the system grapples with high turnover rates, dangerously low staffing levels and fatigued employees.

A new investigation finds alarming spread of COVID-19 in Florida correctional facilities. An update on the investigation into the assassination of Haiti's President. The NYT Daily podcast comes to WLRN and a trip down to Key West for Hemingway Days.

A catastrophe was averted at Piney Point, but what about all of our other estuaries and waterways? Thousands of prisoners in Florida are finally getting their vaccines. Plus, the isolation we’ve struggled with over the past year due to the pandemic could have long-term effects.

The state had anticipated a reduction in J&J allocations and is using the two-dose Moderna vaccine instead.

A bill in the Florida legislature would increase the age for a child to be tried in adult court. The measure would raise the allowable age from 14 to 15 years old.

Magistrate Judge Martin Fitzpatrick issued a 53-page order Monday that said testimony and evidence showed “actual overt retaliation by prison officials, as well as threats of retaliation.”