Families question strict prison visit rules

Families with loved ones in Florida’s prisons are questioning why they are still subject to strict visiting restrictions — with visitors separated from inmates with plexiglass shields and only immediate family allowed — even as the state has eased most other rules aimed to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“I think the governor forgot about incarcerated people,” said Denise Rock, the executive director of prisoner advocacy nonprofit Florida Cares. “You cannot say it’s not safe in [prisons if ] it’s safe in society, it’s safe in the stadium, it’s safe in the nursing homes, it’s safe everywhere else. ... These are not logical decisions being made, they seem punitive.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday relaxed most restrictions for visits to nursing homes and long-term care facilities, allowing for children to visit indoors as well as for residents to take overnight trips away from such facilities, decisions that drew concern as the virus has continued to kill hundreds at these facilities in recent weeks.

State data shows nearly 6,600 long-term care facility residents and workers have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, almost 2,000 of whom died in the seven weeks since visits resumed. Florida Department of Corrections data shows, that as of this week, 164 prisoners or prison staff have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

After T h u r s d a y ’s announcement, prisoner families said they are being left behind while the rest of the state has found options for much-missed contact with loved ones. Rock and others pointed out that longterm facilities have fared much worse from COVID-19 compared to state prisons.

But Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman Michelle Glady said that the agency is “approaching modified visitation cautiously to protect the inmate population.”

“FDC is closely monitoring the success of modified visitation and is currently evaluating the possibility of relaxing some of the temporary restrictions soon,” Glady said. She said details for that decision have not yet been determined, and did not give a more specific timeframe.

In the first three weekends of re-opened visitation, Glady said FDC recorded 4,000 visits. As of September, there were about 84,000 people incarcerated across more than 50 major prisons.

“I don’t see a difference in the people who are in nursing home and the people who are incarcerated,” said Shirley Daniels, whose husband is imprisoned at Avon Park Correctional Institution. She said inmates have experienced the same issues during isolation: depression, anxiety and loss of motivation.

“The people who have family members who have been coming regularly, they still need to see them,” she said. “... We still need to comfort them and help them through this journey.”

Daniels has been able to visit her husband twice under FDC’s modified visitation restrictions, which began earlier this month after seven months of suspended visitation, but she said it’s been difficult.

FDC rules require pre-scheduled visits for only two immediate family members, not including any children younger than 12, for a three-hour window either on Saturday or Sunday. Visitors and inmates must wear face masks, remain separated by a plexiglass barrier and physical touch is not allowed.

Daniels’ two adult daughters could not visit, because they are her husband’s step-children, and her grandson could not join, as he typically did before the pandemic, because he is too young.

While Daniels was glad to finally see him, the rules made it hard to talk, because everyone was so spread out and talking loudly, she said. Gone also were the simple joys of pre-pandemic visits, like playing cards, reading the bible or walking around outside together.

“I haven’t seen him in eight months. We couldn’t hug, we couldn’t touch, we couldn’t hold hands, anything,” Daniels said. “It’s really difficult and its frustrating.”

An informal survey by Florida Cares of about 75 people who attempted to visit their loved ones in prison in recent weeks found that about three-quarters of people noticed the visitation tables were not full, and almost all said they were not allowed to use the outdoor visitation spots.

Rock said she thinks many of the visit slots haven’t filled up because of the burdens of the restrictions. For example, being unable to bring children forces families to find child care. And many would have to drive hours to the state’s often-remote prison facilities, only to be restricted to three hours of visitation. She said she also doesn’t understand why FDC would not allow outdoor visitation, when the CDC has recommended that.

“It is so restrictive that what they’ve done is people can’t even visit,” Rock said.

“The families have not done anything wrong. ... It’s absolutely cruel, I cannot think of any other word.”

David Sparks’ fiancee is incarcerated at Gadsden Correctional Facility near Tallahassee, about a six-hour drive from his home in West Palm Beach, but because they are not legally married, he has not been allowed to visit. FDC’s current restrictions say non-immediate family can request to visit, but that decision is up to each warden.

Sparks said he’s tried for the last few weeks to get through to the warden, without success. He noted that the federal prison system allows family and friends to visit, and said he would like to see Florida leaders modify their current restrictions to be less rigid.

“I don’t know why the decisions were made this way, I really don’t, but I think it should be something that is at least looked at,” Sparks said.

The couple’s son, who is 12, is allowed to visit his mom because he is immediate family and old enough, but Sparks said he cannot go alone.

“We just want to have the ability to physically go,” Sparks said. “The holidays are coming up.”

gtoohey@orlandosentinel. com

Families are questioning strict visitation restrictions at Florida prisons such as South Bay Correctional Facility even as other coronavirus regulations in the state are eased.