Huffington Magazine Issue 73 | Page 86

PRISONERS OF PROFIT reason for his termination, according to state documents. Williams, the current spokesman, confirmed that the company had lodged a formal complaint against Blanton, but added: “It was not the reason he was terminated.” He referred other questions to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Speakes Collins, the agency spokeswoman, declined to com- HUFFINGTON 11.03.13 background checks required by state law. A review of incidents involving staff and youth revealed that many had not been reported to the state within the required timeframe. Only two out of 20 reviewed employees had completed required training on child abuse and incident reporting during their first two weeks on the job, as required by the state. “The paperwork looked great, because someone was going around and spending overtime just to make sure that paperwork was correct. If there was something missing, they would just forge it.” ment on the issue, asserting that it would be “inappropriate” to discuss matters that happened during a past administration. Less than four months after Blanton was fired, another state review of Thompson confirmed and amplified many of the problems he had documented. Among the “critical” concerns listed in the annual audit: employees had been hired absent the criminal The review also found that staff at Thompson badly neglected preparing juveniles for release, in one case failing to notify the state social services agency about the departure of a boy who had previously been in foster care. Over the next two years, the facility continued to receive low marks on annual reviews, inclu