End 'double-celling,' residents say

At about 3 a.m. Saturday, many of the 190 residents incarcerated two to a cell in "D-Dorm" at the Florida Civil Commitment Center awoke to the sounds of "screaming and banging," as one man began assaulting another in his bunk, according to written and verbal reports from residents.

The assault raged on for almost 15 minutes, prompting complaints from the residents that the FCCC is overcrowded and understaffed.

More than 100 of the D-Dorm residents signed a letter Monday expressing their concerns. The letter was sent to Dr. Teion L. Wells Harrison, director of the sexually violent predator program for the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The letter calls for an end to "double-celling," the practice of placing two residents in a single cell.

The residents also request that GEO Group, the contractor hired by the DCF to operate the facility, provide more security staffers so they can be "on the floor at all times roving from quad to quad."

"Disturbingly, the victim cried out for emergency assistance for almost 15 minutes; screaming, kicking and banging his cell door, without staff response," stated the letter.

The DCF is responsible for carrying out the provisions of the state's 1998 Jimmy Ryce Act, which calls for sexual offenders with mental disorders to be committed to an institution for control and treatment after they serve their prison terms.

The DCF in July replaced the former contractor, Liberty, with GEO Group.

The center is housed in a former state prison 10 miles east of Arcadia.

The Oct. 28 assault was the third in two days at the center, according to the letter. The other assaults included two back-to-back fights between residents in Quad 2 of F-Dorm on Oct. 26. That section of the dorm houses those with severe mental illnesses or "special needs," according to the letter.

In the most recent assault, a DeSoto County Sheriff's deputy was dispatched the day after the incident to respond to a report of simple battery.

The deputy was supplied with statements from the victim and the suspect. The victim, Darryl Daniels, 30, said he was sleeping when his cellmate, Aaron Shaw, 37, attacked him.

The deputy also reviewed photos of Shaw showing where Daniels had bitten him. But the deputy reported being "unable" to make personal contact with either Shaw or Daniels, according to a sheriff's report.

"Daniels said (in his statement) he fought back with Shaw while he was trying to get the attention of the staff," the sheriff's report states.

Neither the Sheriff's Office nor the DCF has any record that the Oct. 26 assaults occurred, according to officials.

The D-Dorm residents also request, in their letter, that the DCF order an end to "double-celling" and "other prison-like conditions."

"FCCC is supposed to be a mental health facility, not a prison," the residents wrote. "We are to be treated as patients, not state convicts."

Those signing the letter include Jose Delgado, who was arrested in another stabbing incident a year ago. The case was later dropped.

In October 2005, another resident in F-Dorm died after sustaining a head injury in an assault over a bag of corn chips.

The residents request the DCF to direct the facility's administrator, Timothy Budz, to meet with residents to address their concerns about overcrowding.

Budz said Wednesday he was not authorized to comment. He referred a reporter to the DCF spokesman in Tallahassee.

Al Zimmerman, spokesman for the DCF, said the FCCC's security staffers "responded quickly" to the Oct. 28 assault.

"The residents were examined by the medical unit and were treated for minor injuries," he said. "The next day, one of the residents involved indicated it was an attempted rape and wanted to press charges."

Also, the staffing is "adequate," Zimmerman said.

The facility currently houses 568 and has a capacity for 580, he said. There are currently 10 staff vacancies, he said.

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