Fla. Prisons To Videotape Inmates
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP), State prison workers will begin videotaping all
instances where inmates are forcibly removed from their cells following a prisoner's death
after a confrontation with officers.
The policy is already in place at Florida State Prison, where death row inmate
Frank Valdes died July 17 after he refused to let himself be handcuffed and removed from
his cell.
The policy was extended Wednesday to 53 other state prisons, said C.J. Drake, a
Department of Corrections spokesman.
``This is being done
Eleven guards have been placed on administrative leave with pay while the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement and FBI investigate Valdes' death and other abuse
allegations.
Meanwhile, an independent autopsy has been ordered by Valdes' family, which is
planning to file a lawsuit against the state. ``We were able to see the body of Mr.
Valdes' and it was evident that he was badly beaten,'' said Stuart Goldenberg, an attorney
representing Valdes' wife and father.
Results of Valdes' first autopsy, performed by a state medical examiner, have
been withheld by state officials because of the ongoing criminal investigation.
