Prisons study finds no signs of bias

Corrections Secretary Michael Moore says insufficient evidence was found to support discrimination claims of black guards.

By ALISA ULFERTS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 29, 2001

TALLAHASSEE -- State corrections officials have found no evidence of widespread racial discrimination against guards at several Florida prisons they spent four months investigating.

Corrections Secretary Michael Moore announced the investigation's conclusion Tuesday, saying the accusations were "anecdotal" and lacked sufficient evidence for the state to act.

But he pledged to improve areas that need it and listen to future complaints.

"I am personally offended by racial misconduct and discrimination and pledge to vigorously address and resolve any such allegations within the department," Moore said in a release. He has not released the report.

Moore opened the investigation in April after a group of black lawmakers visited prisons and heard stories of discrimination against African-American guards.

Some guards said they were harassed for speaking out when they saw black inmates receive harsher treatment than whites. Others said they were left to guard hundreds of inmates in a recreational yard while white officers sat inside or slept. About 55 percent of the inmates in Florida's prisons are African-American, and about 70 percent of guards are white.

State Sen. Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat and the lead lawmaker tracking the investigation, said he was told of the report's conclusions during a conference call Tuesday.

Meek said he's eager to see Moore's written explanation of how the department came to its conclusions.

"I want to see that because it has to be a work of art," Meek said Tuesday evening.

"I was there in person, and I heard what the people said. ... There's no justice in the department," Meek said.

The only positive thing Meek said he heard Tuesday was that corrections officials plan to improve how they post notices of job opportunities. That was one of the complaints of some black guards -- that they often are passed over for promotions.

But Meek questioned why the state needed to improve that process if it didn't find enough evidence to support black employees' complaints that the postings were discriminatory.

"It's amazing how they can take corrective action but find no wrongdoing," Meek said.

The NAACP and black officers from throughout Florida sued the prison system last year in federal court, claiming it systematically blocks promotions for African-American staffers and subjects them to work environments that include everything from intimidation to life-threatening harassment.

State corrections officials said they devoted seven full-time investigators plus Assistant Chief of Personnel Marian Deadwiley to the investigation. They interviewed more than 300 employees and will continue to monitor four prisons: Tomoka Correctional Institution, Lake Correctional Institution, Marion Correctional Institution and the North Florida Reception Center.

"We can improve in many areas," Moore said.

"There are opportunities to better inform employees and put systems in place to ensure better communication with our employees," he added.

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