Executive Summary

The Florida Department of Corrections has grown dramatically over the past five years. The agency is responsible for 56 major institutions, 82 community-based facilities, and more than 155 probation offices. The agency employs almost 29,000 individuals that are responsible for providing custody and care for an inmate population of over 63,000 and community supervision of over 138,000 offenders. The total operating budget for the agency is almost $1.5 billion.

To address this size of operation and its dramatic growth, the Office of the Inspector General has had to maximize the utilization of its resources by addressing matters of greatest concern and vulnerability to fraud and abuse. This report is designed to provide the reader with a brief description of the most significant of these activities for the past fiscal year.

Specific Areas of Responsibility:

1. Manage a statewide computerized management information network and coordinate this activity with other identified key correctional managers.
   1. Provides a daily incident/event reporting system from all areas of the department that allows for early identification of problems or problem areas and a timely allocation of investigation resources.
   2. Provides for data collection on a statewide basis for review by key correctional managers in developing strategies to address problem areas.
   3. Provides for the systemized and coordinated flow of information to the Public Information Office regarding issues of importance to the public, and the department.
   4. Provides information from existing investigative reports to the Bureau of Legal Services and the state's Risk Management Division when identified litigation issues develop.
   5. Provides leadership in the Department's effort to maintain a strong, formal, cooperative working relationship with the Department of Law Enforcement and other law enforcement and investigative agencies.
2. Responsible for all criminal and administrative investigations in state Correctional facilities.
   1. Provides on a regional basis investigative staff to conduct criminal investigations of felonies in state correctional facilities and the coordination of the activities with other law enforcement and investigative agencies including prosecution through State Attorneys offices.
   2. Provides on a regional basis investigative staff to conduct administrative investigations into improper procedures, EEO complaints, sexual harassment complaints, etc., in state correctional facilities, coordinating these activities with appropriate departmental staff and, when warranted, other law enforcement and investigative agencies.
   3. Provides for timely intervention in areas of specific identified concern to reduce the potential for situations/problems to escalate such as disputes between staff, escape recapture efforts, etc.
3. Regulatory responsibility for county and municipal detention facilities that includes inspection and investigative functions.
   1. Monitors through regular inspection of facilities, compliance with operation and service requirements set forth by rule governing the operation of county and municipal detention facilities.
   2. Performs regulatory responsibility and provides consultation and guidance in jail design and construction.
   3. Provides leadership, coordination and management of the Jail Standards Committee for County and Municipal Detention Facilities, and disseminates rulings by the Committee.
   4. Provides for investigation of issues and events under the department's regulatory control and an independent investigative report to the department.
4. Provides support to the Office of Operations in providing a safer environment for employees, inmates, and visitors by discouraging the introduction of contraband into state correctional facilities.
   1. Maintains an automated tracking system for contraband seized within state correctional facilities;
   2. Conducts unannounced interdiction operations in cooperation with the Office of Operations and the Florida Highway Patrol Canine Teams; and
   3. Reviews contraband control procedures at state correctional facilities for compliance with department policy and procedure.
5. Provides support to the Office of Operations by identifying, validating, and certifying gangs/security threat groups (STGs) and their members and monitoring their activities.
   1. Maintains a security threat group intelligence program through the offender based information screen.
   2. Provides a leadership role for the coordination and sharing of intelligence information with other law enforcement agencies on STG's.
   3. Provides statewide training for department staff in identification and assessment of security threat groups and members as well as their activities.
6. Management, monitoring and decision making of the inmate grievance procedure for inmates incarcerated in the state correctional system.
   1. Provides inmates an avenue to seek administrative review of complaints about issues and situations that affect them personally.
   2. Provides an avenue of issue identification to managers in areas under the department's control that may need correction.
   3. Provides information to managers and key staff regarding potential litigation issues.
   4. Provides for early identification of issues/situations that need investigation.
   5. Provides a mechanism to reduce the cost to the state of inmate litigation in the courts by making administrative remedies available.
7. Internal Audit responsibility for assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of management controls and programs to determine compliance with department policy and procedures.
   1. Conducts compliance audits in accordance with professional standards.
   2. Conducts management reviews at department facilities and offices to identify management deficiencies and monitor corrective actions.
   3. Assists with investigations involving fraud, waste, or misappropriation of funds.
   4. Serves as the department's liaison with the Office of the Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability on all audits and performance reviews done by these offices.