"Complete Neglect": Thousands Not Evacuated from Florida Jails & Prisons Ahead of Hurricane Milton

[Uncle Joe]

As many as 28,000 people incarcerated in central and southern Florida jails and prisons were in mandatory evacuation zones for Hurricane Milton, but many officials reportedly refused to evacuate them. Some who were moved to more secure facilities ahead of the storm report having been left in lockdown with no power, updates or access to prison staff. "The fact that they are unable to evacuate people in mandatory evacuation zones goes to show the complete lack of prioritization of the lives of incarcerated people during hurricanes. And I think we can all agree, if we are prioritizing the safety of our communities, those communities must include the incarcerated people inside," says Jordan Martinez, an organizer with the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons and the group's Hurricane and Disaster Response Team. They helped organize pressure campaigns for officials to evacuate incarcerated people during this storm as they have for many others.

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[FarPoint]

1. It is a sad truth....

So many in jail/ prison....where are ya going to take them? Most all jails are already full and it is always a life threatening risk to transport inmates even to the hospital...escape risk involves harm to officers and the public...so it is what it is...

More concerned and wanting to know how nursing home residents fair in an evacuation...

[Uncle Joe]

2. That's the price of long term draconian policies here in the land of the free.

(snip)

Prisoners in the United States

The United States is home to the largest number of prisoners worldwide. Roughly 1.8 million people were incarcerated in the U.S. at the end of 2023. In China, the estimated prison population totaled to 1.69 million people that year. Other nations had far fewer prisoners.

(snip)

https://www.statista.com/statistics/262962/countries-with-the-most-prisoners-per-100-000-inhabitants/#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20is%20home,nations%20had%20far%20fewer%20prisoners.

I believe we could learn much from the enlightened Norway prison system.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Hmmm. Maybe FEMA needs to go ahead

and build those mass internment camps Republicans think are already out there.