Florida Senate Passes Bill To Reduce Prison Beatings, Deaths
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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — A newly passed bill is aiming to change the scandal-plagued Florida prison system by reducing prison beatings and deaths.
The Florida Senate voted 36-1 on Wednesday to pass a bill that would take away some of the governor's power to appoint a corrections secretary and would create a commission with the power to independently investigate corruption or deaths.
The corrections secretary would have to receive approval from the governor and Cabinet. Now, the governor has the sole decision on who runs the department.
Florida's prison system is one of the nation's largest and houses roughly 100,000 inmates. But increases in the use of force against inmates, as well as allegations about cover-ups of questionable inmate deaths, have tarnished the agency.
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