HB 71

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to faith- and character-based correctional
3	institutions and programs; amending s. 944.803, F.S.;
4	revising legislative findings; revising requirements for
5	faith- and character-based correctional institutions and
6	programs; requiring improvement and expansion of programs
7	at specified facilities; requiring evaluation of the
8	faith- and character-based prison model; requiring
9	replication of the model when feasible; providing an
10	effective date.
11
12	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14	Section 1.  Section 944.803, Florida Statutes, is amended
15	to read:
16	944.803  Faith- and character-based correctional
17	institutions and Faith-based programs for inmates.--
18	(1)  The Legislature finds and declares that faith- and
19	character-based correctional institutions and programs offered
20	in state and private correctional settings have a public safety
21	mission and the potential to facilitate inmate institutional
22	adjustment, help inmates assume personal responsibility, and
23	substantially reduce recidivism. With a firm constitutional
24	foundation, faith- and character-based institutions allow any
25	inmate, secular or religious, to make himself or herself into a
26	better person. Through the initial step of volunteering to
27	reside in a faith- and character-based institution, an
28	increasing number of inmates are taking their first step towards
29	personal responsibility and self-improvement faith-based
30	programs offered in state and private correctional institutions
31	and facilities have the potential to facilitate inmate
32	institutional adjustment, help inmates assume personal
33	responsibility, and reduce recidivism.
34	(2)  It is the intent of the Legislature that the
35	department of Corrections and the private vendors operating
36	private correctional facilities shall continuously:
37	(a)  Measure recidivism rates for inmates who have
38	participated in faith- and character-based religious programs;
39	(b)  Increase the number of volunteers who minister to
40	inmates from various faith- and character-based faith-based
41	institutions in the community;
42	(c)  Encourage additional community volunteers and strong
43	community partnerships with community colleges, universities,
44	and other significant community institutions to further the
45	mission of faith- and character-based correctional institutions
46	and programs;
47	(d)(c)  Develop community linkages with various religious,
48	educational, business, and community churches, synagogues,
49	mosques, and other faith-based institutions to assist inmates in
50	their release back into the community; and
51	(e)(d)  Fund through the use of annual appropriations, in
52	department facilities, and through inmate welfare trust funds
53	pursuant to s. 945.215, in private facilities, an adequate
54	number of chaplains and support staff to operate faith- and
55	character-based faith-based programs in correctional
56	institutions through the use of annual appropriations for those
57	in department facilities and through inmate welfare trust funds
58	pursuant to s. 945.215 for those in private facilities; and.
59	(f)  Fund the department staff contracts required to
60	further the public safety mission of faith- and character-based
61	correctional institutions and programs through the use of annual
62	appropriations. A portion of the savings created through the
63	reduced recidivism rate of participants in faith- and character-
64	based institutions and programs should be used to help
65	transition ex-offenders back into the community.
66	(3)(a)1.  The department must have at least six new
67	programs fully operational that are. These six programs shall be
68	similar to and in addition to the initial current faith-based
69	pilot program. The six additional new programs shall be a joint
70	efforts effort with the department and faith- and character-
71	based faith-based service groups within the community.
72	2.  The department must continue to improve and expand the
73	existing faith- and character-based programs at Lawty
74	Correctional Institution and Hillsborough Correctional
75	Institution to the extent possible. The department must expand
76	the faith- and character-based program at Wakulla Correctional
77	Institution to include the main unit, work camp, and annex.
78	(b)  The department shall ensure that an inmate's faith
79	orientation, or lack thereof, will not be considered in
80	determining admission to a faith- and character-based faith-
81	based program and that the program does not attempt to convert
82	an inmate toward a particular faith or religious preference. The
83	programs shall operate 24 hours a day within the existing
84	correctional facilities. The programs must emphasize the
85	importance of personal responsibility, meaningful work,
86	education, substance abuse treatment, and peer support.
87	(c)  Participation in a faith- and character-based the
88	faith-based dormitory program shall be voluntary. However, At
89	least 80 percent of the inmates participating in this program
90	must be within 36 months of release. Assignment to these
91	programs shall be based on evaluation and the length of time the
92	inmate is projected to be assigned to that particular
93	institution. In evaluating an inmate for such a this program,
94	priority shall be given to inmates who have shown an indication
95	for substance abuse. A right to substance abuse program services
96	is not stated, intended, or otherwise implied by this paragraph
97	subsection. The department may not remove an inmate once
98	assigned to such a the program except for the purposes of
99	population management, for inmate conduct that may subject the
100	inmate to disciplinary confinement or loss of gain-time, for
101	physical or mental health concerns, or for security or safety
102	concerns.
103	(d)  To support the programming component, the department
104	shall assign a chaplain and a full-time clerical support person
105	dedicated to each dormitory to implement and monitor the program
106	and to strengthen volunteer participation and support.
107	(4)  The department of Corrections shall assign chaplains
108	to community correctional centers authorized pursuant to s.
109	945.091(1)(b). These chaplains shall strengthen volunteer
110	participation by recruiting volunteers in the community to
111	assist inmates in transition, and, if requested by the inmate,
112	placement in a mentoring program or at a contracted substance
113	abuse transition housing program. When placing an inmate in a
114	contracted program, the chaplain shall work with the
115	institutional transition assistance specialist in an effort to
116	successfully place the released inmate.
117	(5)  The department shall ensure that any faith component
118	of any program authorized in this chapter is offered on a
119	voluntary basis and, an offender's faith orientation, or lack
120	thereof, will not be considered in determining admission to a
121	faith- and character-based faith-based program and that the
122	program does not attempt to convert an offender toward a
123	particular faith or religious preference.
124	(6)  The department shall ensure that state funds are not
125	expended for the purpose of furthering religious indoctrination,
126	but rather, that state funds are expended for purposes of
127	furthering the secular goals of criminal rehabilitation, the
128	successful reintegration of offenders into the community, and
129	the reduction of recidivism.
130	(7)  The department shall evaluate the benefits,
131	implications, and realistic limitations of the faith- and
132	character-based prison model for costs savings, crime reduction,
133	and enhanced professionalism of correctional employees and shall
134	replicate the faith- and character-based prison model when
135	feasible.
136	Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.