CHRIS McGONIGAL
PRISONERS
OF PROFIT
or being fired after violent incidents. Three years into the contract, in 2006, a state review found
that 96 percent of the staff had
left during the previous year. Eight
cases of child abuse by staff were
ultimately substantiated that year,
according to contract documents.
According to HuffPost’s review of
police reports, internal Department
of Juvenile Justice investigations
and youth grievance forms obtained
through public records requests,
Florida facilities run by Youth Ser-
HUFFINGTON
11.03.13
vices International continue to be
plagued by violence, high turnover
and unprofessional staff.
Youth counselors for YSI —
those who work directly with
juvenile inmates — earn about
$10.50 an hour, or just under
$22,000 per year, according to
contract proposals from 2010.
Because of frequent turnover and
absences among staff, double
shifts are common, adding additional stress to the job, former
employees said.
One night in July 2012, a juvenile inmate at Thompson Academy was lining up with other boys
Bowers
walks by a
playground
outside her
home on May
29, 2013, in
Orlando, Fla.