FLORIDA – Due to major staffing issues at Florida state prisons, Governor Ron DeSantis has activated the Florida National Guard in an effort to assist as supplemental security at some locations.

Florida National Guard Lt. Col. Peter Jennison said that there would likely be around 300 guardsmen activated and that he expects all would volunteer for the assignment.

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This comes as DeSantis offers “historic pay increases and other incentives” in an effort to “recruit and retain corrections officers,” according to his released statement.

The Department of Corrections (DOC), he said, “is authorized to employ over 20,000 correctional and correctional probation officers, almost a quarter of all state employees.” Despite this, DeSantis recognized that there is a “severe shortage” of corrections officers in the state prisons, which “threatens the safety” of inmates and officers alike.

The Guardsmen will not directly supervise the inmates, as they are lacking the training to do so, but will assist as added security for the grounds. They’ll be supervised by the respective warden or sheriff of the facility in which they’ll be serving.

“We think, as we continue to hire and reduce the stress on the compounds, the existing officers are going to want to stay because they’re not going to work that amount of overtime they’re currently working,” said Department of Corrections Chief Financial Officer Mark Tallent. “They’re going to have a better family life, be able to get out of the institution more. We definitely think we’re trending in the right direction.”

“Members of the Guard have the training and capability to assist Florida’s correctional officers with certain duties, such as manning guard towers, perimeter patrols, and control stations,” DeSantis’ order read, “which will allow the correctional officers to concentrate on directly supervising and caring for inmates.”

In May of 2021, DeSantis announced a $1,000 bonus sent to approximately 174,000 first responders. Prior to issuing the bonuses, DeSantis had approved CS/HB 7125, which added correctional officers to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission’s definition of “qualified law enforcement officer” in order to allow the corrections officers to receive the funds.

However, according to Florida Deputy Jeffrey Snipes, corrections officers were not included in the second round of bonuses offered on March 31, 2022. Snipes said that when he asked why, he was told, “The recognition payments associated with this legislation are limited to sworn law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians, firefighters and paramedics employed by local governments. Correctional Officers and Detention officers are not included.”

On August 19, Snipes sent a letter to DeSantis, stating that he believes that the omission of corrections officers was an oversight and asked for rectification in the matter. “We believe,” his letter read, “that an error has been made by somebody somewhere in the legislative process and that excluding CJSTC certified and sworn correctional officers from the second round of bonus checks was never your desire or intention…

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“Ultimately, I have trust and faith that you will address these matters in the manner in which you best see fit, and I thank you for your continued support and service to the State of Florida.”

Apparently, that trust and faith was for naught, as the matter had still gone unaddressed as of September 4, when Snipes followed up for the fourth time with DeSantis, this time offering a draft of a legislative bill dubbed the Corrections Officers Equality Act.

As suggested by the name, the act would solidify corrections officers into the “qualified law enforcement officer” category and include them in several previous bills, including the $1,000 bonuses sent to first responders (HB-5001) and retirement incentives (HB-5007).

According to Democrats in the State Legislator, DeSantis has been “ignoring” funding in the DOC for “years.” On September 9, Democrat House Minority Leader-designate Rep. Fentrice Driskell said, “Florida has ignored this agency and ignored this problem, and underfunded this agency for years. Now, it looks like the governor wants to activate the Florida National Guard, which will take people away from their homes, their families, and their jobs.”

When guardsmen sign up for the service, they dedicate themselves to just this kind of work, assisting domestically in their home state, knowing there is a potential for temporary deployment. They’re trained, as stated by DeSantis and confirmed by Lt. Col. Jennison, for just this type of work and will likely volunteer to assist.

The state’s Joint Budget Commission approved the governor’s $31 million request on Friday for guardsmen activation and deployment into the prisons.

This piece was written by Leah Anaya on September 14, 2022. It originally appeared on RedVoiceMedia.com and is used with permission.

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