• Admissions and Release
• Classification Management
• Intelligence
• Population Management
• Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
• Security Operations
• American Correctional Association Accreditation

In order to become employed as a certified correctional officer in Florida, individuals must meet certain requirements, such as being at least 18 years of age, having earned a high school diploma or equivalent (GED), and not having been convicted of a felony or convicted of a misdemeanor involving perjury or false statement. Individuals must also successfully complete the Florida basic recruit training program for corrections. The training program covers topics including weapons, interpersonal communication skills, supervising in a correctional facility, emergency preparedness, and defensive tactics. After successfully completing the training program, candidates must achieve a passing score on the State Officer Certification Examination.

Additionally, correctional officers must successfully complete 40 hours, every four years, of in-service, advanced, specialized, or career development training courses. Mandatory retraining requirements for correctional officers include training in human diversity and use of force. Use-of-force training must include instruction in scenario-based firearms training, physiological response dynamics training, less lethal force options available within the agency, agency use of force policies, and legal aspects regarding use of force.

An escape is an unauthorized absence from a designated facility boundary or absence from any official assignment outside the boundary. The department classifies escapes into three categories.

• Level I:  Escape from non-secure environment, such as a community release center or outside work squad, in which no Level 3 behaviors are exhibited.
• Level II:  Escape from a secure perimeter or supervised environment, in which no Level 3 behaviors are exhibited.
• Level III:  Escape that involves hostages, weapons/tools, outside assistance or violence during or after the escape.

The number of escapes in Fiscal Year 2021-22 was consistent with the number of escapes in FY 2020-21 at 23 escapes. None of the escapes in FY 2021-22 were from Correctional Institution or Work Camps/Road Prisons. All 23 escapes were from Work Release/Contract Centers, and all 23 escapes were designated Level I escapes. 

Of the 23 escapes, 21 (91.3%) were recaptured as of July 7, 2022. Of the 21 recaptured, 20 (95.2%) were recaptured within the same quarter the escape occurred. Of the 20 recaptured within the quarter, 11 (55.0%) were recaptured within 24 hours of the escape.

Depending on the type and level of disruption, an inmate may be placed in one of three special status housing types:

Administrative Confinement - The temporary removal of an inmate from the general population in order to provide for security and safety until such time as more permanent inmate management processes can be concluded. The reason(s) an inmate can be placed in administrative confinement include pending disciplinary charges; pending outside charges; pending protection needs review, pending investigation for fear of staff allegations; pending investigation, evaluation of change of status, or a transfer is pending and the presence of the inmate in the general population might interfere with that investigation or present a danger to the inmate, or other inmates, or to the security and order of the institution; or received from another facility when classification staff is not available to review the inmate file and classify the inmate into general population.

Disciplinary Confinement - A form of punishment in which inmates found guilty by the disciplinary hearing team of committing violations of the department rules are confined for specified periods of time to individual cells based upon authorized penalties for prohibited conduct. Disciplinary confinement cells are physically separate from other special status housing and the general population. Inmates placed in disciplinary confinement may be subject to restrictions of privileges based upon the inmate's conduct and behavior becoming unmanageable. The department requires frequent review of inmates who are placed in disciplinary confinement, with the goal to return inmates to the open population as soon as the facts of the case indicate that this can be done safely.

Close Management - Confinement of an inmate apart from the general population, for reasons of security or the order and effective management of the institution, where the inmate, through his or her behavior, has demonstrated an inability to live in the general population without abusing the rights and privileges of others. Placement of an inmate on close management (CM) status is based on an inmate's behavior constituting a serious and immediate threat to the safety of others or to the security of the department, where this may be the primary or only appropriate placement. There are three individual levels associated with close management, with CMI being the most restrictive single cell housing level and CMIII being the least restrictive housing of the three CM levels. The initial referral for placement is recommended by the classification officer and the institutional classification team, which is then reviewed by the state classification officer for the final disposition. While in a close management unit, an inmate's movement within the institution and privileges will be limited depending on the specific CM level and their behavior. The department requires frequent reviews of inmates who are on close management status, with the purpose of reducing their status to the lowest management level or returning the inmate to general population as soon as the facts of the case indicate that this can be done safely. 

Administrative Management Unit (AMU) - A general population housing status where an inmate is placed in a highly structured environment to promote the safety and security of inmates, staff, and the public, or the security and good order of an institution. Placement in an AMU is the consequence of an inmate’s inability to live within an institutionalized setting without abusing the rights and privileges of others by committing, or instigating others to commit, violent, disruptive, predatory, or riotous actions, or an inmate’s behavior that poses a threat to the security of an institution. The department secretary will designate the institutions where AMU inmates will be housed based on the needs of the department.

Rights of Law Enforcement Officers and Correctional Officers. The 2023 Florida Legislature passed Ch. 2023-230, Laws of Florida, which prohibits a law enforcement officer's or correctional officer's employing agency from discharging, suspending, demoting or disciplining an officer solely as a result of a prosecuting agency determining that the officer withheld exculpatory evidence or because their name was included in a Brady identification system. However, the bill does not prohibit the officer's employing agency from taking disciplinary action against the officer based on the underlying actions of the officer. The Brady identification system is a list some prosecutors use to identify law enforcement officers or correctional officers who have been convicted of a crime or have been found to be untruthful. The Brady identification systems were created after the United States Supreme Court Case Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) which recognized the obligation of a state attorney to disclose specified exculpatory and impeachment evidence to the defendant in a criminal case. Part of this disclosure includes if a law enforcement officer who was involved in the arrest or investigation in his or her case has previously been found to be untruthful, has been convicted of a crime, or has any other issue that placed the credibility of the officer into question. The new Florida law requires prosecuting agencies that maintain a Brady identification system to adopt specified written policies outlining protections for officers.  

Correctional Officer Pay Increase. The 2023 Florida Legislature passed the state budget, Ch. 2023-239, Laws of Florida, which increases the starting salary for correctional officers at $45,760 ($22 per hour) along with bonuses for high vacancy facilities. Last year the 2022 Legislature increased the minimum base pay for correctional and probation officers to $20 an hour.

Other Reports
The Auditor General reports on department operations are available on its website
Statistics and Publications, Florida Department of Corrections
Florida Prison Recidivism Report: Releases From 2008 to 2020, Florida Department of Corrections

Websites of Interest
American Probation and Parole Association
American Correctional Association
The Corrections Connection
Correctional Peace Officers Foundation

Performance Information

Department of Corrections, 850-488-7052
Website