The sexual, physical and emotional violence perpetrated by Department of Corrections staff at the nation’s largest women’s prison, Ocala’s Lowell Correctional Institution — and facilitated by the corrupt officials who covered it up — revealed that Florida’s penal system is rotten to its core. It’s evident that change won’t come from within the system.
Florida needs a grassroots movement led by those affected by the state’s criminal-justice system to force desperately needed reform. And this movement will need support. As a former community organizer in Miami and the current director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, which encourages foundations to help those with the least power in our society, I call on Florida’s philanthropists: If you care about Floridians’ wellbeing, criminal-justice reform must be a top priority.
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