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Former Secretaries of Corrections oral histories, 2007-2012.
Amount:
5 DVDs .25 cubic ft.
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Organization/Arrangement:
Chronological by interview date.
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Biographical/Historical:
The Florida Legislature created the Department of Corrections in 1957 as the Division of Corrections under the Board of Commissioners of State Institutions (Chapter 57-317, Laws of Florida). The Board of Commissioners of State Institutions had been responsible for managing all state prisons since 1877 (Ch. 3033, 1877, Laws). In 1969, the Division of Corrections became part of the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (Ch. 69-106, Laws). In 1975, the Legislature increased the Division's duties and it became the Department of Offender Rehabilitation (Ch. 75-49, Laws). In 1978, the Department of Offender Rehabilitation became the Department of Corrections, whose purpose "is to integrate the delivery of all offender rehabilitation and incarceration services that are deemed necessary for the rehabilitation of offenders and protection of society" (Ch. 78-53, Laws). The Florida Department of Corrections is administered by the Secretary of Corrections, appointed by the Governor.
Louie Wainwright (1923-2021) served as the department's first secretary from 1962-1987, appointed by Governor Ferris Bryant. He is known for his involvement in two United States Supreme Court cases: Gideon v. Wainwright, in which indigents are guaranteed an attorney, and Ford v. Wainwright, in which the Court upheld the common law rule prohibiting the execution of the insane. Wainwright remained Secretary of Corrections until 1987, when Richard L. Dugger assumed the role.
Richard L. Dugger (1943-2015) was Secretary of Corrections from 1987 to 1991, appointed by Governor Bob Matinez. During his tenue, the Department of Corrections began a campaign to combat prison overcrowding. He continued working within the department until his retirement in 1995, but returned from 1999 to 2007.
In 1991, Harry K. Singletary Jr. (1946-2010) became the first Black Secretary of Corrections, appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles. He remained in that position until 1999, when he left the Department to work for the Leon County School District. In 1992, the American Correctional Association awarded him the E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award, the highest recognition a correctional professional can get from his peers.
In 2006, Governor Jeb Bush appointed James R. McDonough to head the Department of Corrections. He retired in 2008, after working quickly to combat rampant corruption within the department.
Appointed by Governor Rick Scott, Ken Tucker began his brief tenure as Secretary in August 2011. He resigned in November 2012 after having reached the mandatory retirement age. Tucker guided the department through legal battles over privatization of prisons and an investigation into allegations of excessive force in a north Florida prison.
Summary:
This series consists of oral history interviews with five former Secretaries of Corrections: Louie Wainwright, Richard Dugger, Harry K. Singletary Jr., James R. McDonough, and Ken Tucker, all of whom served between 1962 and 2012. Originally intended to be part of a Department of Corrections history project, these interviews document the philosophies, experiences, and goals of various agency heads over the years.
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Folder listing available. 0
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Subject Access Fields:
Dugger, Richard L. 1923-2015 Singletary, Harry K. d. 2010 Wainwright, Louie L. 1923-2012
Florida State Prison.
Prison administration Florida Prisoners Florida
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