澳彩开奖

The minor, R.W., endured a beating by more than six other youths as part of an initiation rite known as a 鈥渢est of heart,鈥� while a prison guard failed to come to his aid. R.W. was cut multiple times with sharpened barbed wire, choked until unconscious and raped with a broomstick.

鈥淩.W. suffered a nightmare at Sumter,鈥� said Miriam Haskell, 澳彩开奖 attorney. 鈥淯nfortunately, his experience is not unique. A culture of brutality persists within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), and what R.W. endured is just another example of why children do not belong in the adult prison system.鈥�

Bruce A. Kiser Jr., the officer on duty at the time and defendant in the lawsuit, was stationed immediately in front of the area where the attack occurred for the very purpose of supervising the youths involved, according to the suit. Yet he did nothing to stop the beating, and never reported the attack. An investigation by the FDOC鈥檚 Office of the Inspector General noted Kiser鈥檚 inaction and recommended the matter be reviewed for possible administrative action. Despite that recommendation 鈥� and FDOC Secretary Julie Jones鈥� commitment to a 鈥渘ew accountability鈥� 鈥� Kiser remains employed.

Numerous complaints related to violence and tests of heart have been brought to the attention of the FDOC, yet this culture of brutality continues. Last month, the department agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a lawsuit by a youth who was permanently injured in a test of heart at Lancaster Correctional Institution. In 2014, a youth died from injuries reportedly sustained in a similar attack.

Children as young as 14 are incarcerated in Florida鈥檚 youthful offender prisons, which are part of the adult prison system and among the most brutal facilities in the state. On any given day there are approximately 140 minors incarcerated in Florida prisons. The state incarcerates more children in adult prisons than any other state in the country, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. Most were tried as adults as a result of 鈥渄irect file,鈥� a procedure in which prosecutors transfer a child鈥檚 juvenile charges to adult criminal court without any judicial oversight.

Advocates around the state are calling on the Florida Legislature to keep more children out of adult prison by requiring that a judge 鈥� not just a prosecutor 鈥� determine whether a case should be tried in adult court.

The filing of R.W.鈥檚 lawsuit coincides with Children鈥檚 Week at the Florida Legislature. During this week, children and youth advocates from around the state gather in Tallahassee to raise critical issues affecting Florida鈥檚 children, including education, health, safety and abuse prevention.

鈥淲e need more accountability at all levels,鈥� said Karen Garcia whose son, Bryce, was released last year from a youthful offender prison. 鈥淢y son told me stories about inhumane treatment, getting hit by guards, mental abuse and guards opening closets to let kids fight. Whenever I raised these concerns, I got the runaround, from classification officers up to the warden.鈥�

In October, the 澳彩开奖 and other advocates to the U.S. Department of Justice calling on the federal government to investigate horrific conditions in Florida prisons, including for incarcerated youth.