At a prison with Modified Visitation – every other weekend – this spouse could only touch, hug, kiss her husband 4 times a month. How do you define inhumane?
There will be an upcoming Public Hearing on Thursday, May 31, 2018, addressing the modifications to FDC’s proposed rollback to in-person visitation. The Hearing will be held at the Betty Easley Conference Center, Tallahassee, FL from 8:30am to 11:30am. If you have a friend or loved one incarcerated, just show up and tell the Department to maintain Standard Visitation at all institutions. That translates to Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from 9am to 3pm EST or 8am to 2pm CST. Get there any way you can!
The modifications to FDC’s initial change in policy, which would have been implemented on April 9, 2018 had there been no effective protest rally, are shown below. Please take note it states that FDC reserves the right to re-designate any facility from a Standard Visitation schedule to a Modified Visitation schedule at any time (see 8) which would accomplish their original effort to roll back visitation to every other weekend. It’s a crafty push toward eliminating in-person visitation and implementing video visitation ($) but from a new angle that allows FDC to put restrictive, inhumane visitation policies firmly in place one prison at a time.
Notice of Change/Withdrawal
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
RULE NO.: RULE TITLE:
33-601.722 Visiting Schedule
NOTICE OF CHANGE
Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 44 No. 58, March 23, 2018 issue of the Florida Administrative Register.
Changes to the rule are made in response to written comments provided by the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee in their correspondence dated March 29, 2018 and supported by the record of the public hearing conducted on April 3, 2018.
THE CHANGES TO THE TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE ARE:
Substantial Rewording of Rule 33-602.210 follows See Florida Administrative Code for present text.
33-601.722 On-Site Visiting Schedule.
(1) The Department will establish an on-site visitation schedule for each institution, as provided in this rule, based upon consideration of the following criteria:
(a) Institutional security;
(b) Institutional staffing;
(c) Safety and security of inmates, visitors, and staff;
(d) Visiting park maximum capacity as defined in Rule 33-601.713(16);
(e) Number of visitors, and
(f) Frequency of introduced contraband.
(2) The Department will designate each institution’s on-site visitation schedule as one of the following: “Standard Visitation”, “Modified Visitation”, or “Emergency/Temporary Visitation”. The Department will provide notice of the on-site visitation designation for each institution on the individual facility’s web page and Department’s website. Each institution will provide notice of the institution’s on-site visitation schedule in accordance with Rule 33-601.714(4)(b).
(a) “Standard Visitation” will be allowed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) – 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) on each Saturday, Sunday and during the days identified in paragraphs (6) and (7) of this rule.
(b) “Modified Visitation” will be allowed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST — 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST) on an alternating, odd-even weekend basis determined by the last digit of the inmate’s Department of Corrections (“DC”) number. The “week number” will be determined as established by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 8601:2004 Data elements and interchange formats (ISO 8601).
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Inmates with a DC number ending with an odd-numbered digit will be allowed visitation during odd-numbered weeks and inmates with a DC number ending with an even-numbered digit will be allowed visitation during even-numbered weeks.
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The visitation period will be each Saturday and Sunday of the corresponding odd or even numbered week.
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Notwithstanding the odd or even numbered week, all inmates will be allowed visitation on the days as provided in paragraph (6) and (7) of this rule.
(c) “Emergency/Temporary Visitation” will be allowed when the Secretary, or his/her designee, makes the determination that an individual institution, a region(s), or statewide facilities necessitate an “Emergency/Temporary Visitation” schedule. “Emergency/Temporary Visitation” shall include the limitation or suspension of visitation privileges when any one of the criteria set forth below becomes necessary for the safety and welfare of the inmates and staff and will be limited to the duration of the threat or hazard posed. The following criteria will be considered when making a determination whether an “Emergency/Temporary Visitation” schedule is appropriate and the duration of the schedule:
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An imminent, current, or the immediate aftermath of a disturbance, uprising, strike, or riot.
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Staffing limitations that pose a threat to the safety and security of the inmates, visitors, and/or staff.
3. An institution experiencing an influx of contraband that poses a threat to the safety and security of the institution, inmates, staff, and visitors.
4. A declared emergency.
5. An event giving rise prior to, during, or in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
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Medically related issues that pose a potential health threat.
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Any other extraordinary circumstance that creates or poses a threat to the security or safety of the institution, the inmate population, staff or public.