Although the Department of Management Services (DMS) has recently improved monitoring, it needs to further strengthen its oversight of the state's six private prisons and improve its contracts with these vendors. The department has developed stronger monitoring tools to assess contract compliance and it has imposed penalties for violations of contract requirements. However, DMS has not adequately addressed security, contraband, and prison infirmary problems identified by Department of Corrections' reviews of the private prisons, citing its lack of expertise in corrections issues.
DMS contracts do not ensure that the private prisons house inmates requiring comparable levels of health and mental health care as public prisons. The contracts also do not establish performance standards for the private prisons' inmate education, vocation, and treatment programs, and do not establish comparable policies for inmate family visitation and telephone costs as those provided by the state's public prisons. DMS also has not developed written criteria for allowable uses of Inmate Welfare Trust Fund monies, which hinders its ability to ensure that the funds are used for their intended purpose.

Steps to Control Prison Inmate Health Care Costs Have Begun to Show Savings
Report 09-07 January 2009
Some Inmate Family Visitation Practices Are Not Meeting the Legislature's Intent
Report 07-16 February 2007
Review of the Department of Corrections
Report 00-23 December 2000
Review of Correctional Privatization
Report 95-12 November 1995

Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.