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Rick Scott, Governor
Florida Department of Corrections, Secretary Michael D. Crews

Florida Department of Corrections
Michael D. Crews, Secretary

97-98 Annual Report
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Education and Job Training
Library Services

 Allen Overstreet 
(850) 414-1645
SunCom 994-1645

Additional Contact Information

If you or your business would like to donate library materials to the Department of Corrections, please contact Allen Overstreet at (850) 414-1645.

Library Services operates each library as the institution's primary information and materials center. Libraries provide print and audio-visual materials essential to support the activities of the institution's other education and treatment programs, including the resources to promote lifelong learning, increase literacy levels, and satisfy inmate needs for general information and reading. In compliance with Bounds v. Smith (1977) and Lewis v. Casey (1996), access to the system of 69 law libraries is assured, providing inmates with law library collections, trained inmate law clerks, and related legal services, such as copying, notary, and supplies, for insolvent inmates. Library Services coordinates the procedures required to ensure that only those reading materials that fall within the admissibility criteria are received by institutional libraries and inmates.

Accomplishments in 1997-98

  • Library professionals supervised 63 general library programs that were open an average of 303 days and were visited over 1.3 million times. Inmates borrowed over 1.1 million books and over one million newspapers and periodicals; and library staff responded to 133,746 reference questions and conducted 14,598 special programs, including library orientation, audio-visual programs, discussion groups, Black History Month, Women's History Month, and Rainbow Cultural Unity month activities.
  • Law libraries were open for an average of 295 days and 2,329 hours during FY 1997-98, and provided assistance to inmates in almost 1.4 million instances. As of June 30, 1998, 316 certified law clerks were assigned to work in 45 major collection law libraries and 21 minor collection law libraries.
  • Library staff partnered with staff in the Bureau of Academic and Special Education to implement the Comprehensive Literacy Program, establishing literacy programs in the libraries at institutions without education programs.
97-98 Annual Report
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