Florida Statutes § 944.31 — Inspector general; inspectors; power and duties.
The inspector general and office inspectors must inspect correctional facilities and systems, investigate related matters, and follow certain procedural duties; they also have limited entry, consultation, and arrest-related powers.
944.31 Inspector general; inspectors; power and duties.—(1) The inspector general shall be responsible for prison inspection and investigation, internal affairs investigations, and management reviews. The office of the inspector general shall be charged with the duty of inspecting the penal and correctional systems of the state. (2) The office of the inspector general shall inspect each correctional institution or any place in which state prisoners are housed, worked, or kept within the state, with reference to its physical conditions, cleanliness, sanitation, safety, and comfort; the quality and supply of all bedding; the quality, quantity, and diversity of food served and the manner in which it is served; the number and condition of the prisoners confined therein; and the general conditions of each institution. (3) The office of inspector general shall see that all the rules and regulations issued by the department are strictly observed and followed by all persons connected with the correctional systems of the state. The office of the inspector general shall coordinate and supervise the work of inspectors throughout the state. (4) The inspector general and inspectors may enter any place where prisoners in this state are kept and shall be immediately admitted to such place as they desire and may consult and confer with any prisoner privately and without molestation. (5)(a) The inspector general and inspectors shall be responsible for criminal and administrative investigation of matters relating to the Department of Corrections. (b) The secretary may designate persons within the office of the inspector general as law enforcement officers to conduct any criminal investigation that occurs on property owned or leased by the department or involves matters over which the department has jurisdiction. All criminal investigations involving matters over which the department has jurisdiction at contractor-operated correctional facilities, as defined in s. 944.710, may be conducted by the law enforcement officers of the office of the inspector general. (c) A person designated as a law enforcement officer must be certified pursuant to s. 943.1395 and must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience as an inspector in the inspector general’s office or as a law enforcement officer. (d) The department shall maintain a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Law Enforcement for the notification and investigation of mutually agreed-upon predicate events that shall include, but are not limited to, suspicious deaths and organized criminal activity. (e) During investigations, the inspector general and inspectors may consult and confer with any prisoner or staff member privately and without molestation. (f) For matters over which the department has jurisdiction, persons designated as law enforcement officers under this subsection shall have the same arrest authority as provided for law enforcement officers generally in chapter 901, and may make arrests consistent with such authority in the following circumstances, including an arrest of:1. Any prisoner of or visitor to a state correctional institution or a contractor-operated correctional facility, for a violation of the criminal laws of the state involving an offense that occurs on property owned or leased by the department or on the property of a contractor-operated correctional facility; 2. Offenders who have escaped or absconded from custody; 3. A staff member of the department, including any contract employee, subcontractor, or volunteer, for a violation of the criminal laws of the state that occurs on property owned or leased by the department, or any contractor-operated correctional facility staff member, contract employee, subcontractor, or volunteer at any contractor-operated correctional facility for a violation of the criminal laws of the state that occurs on the property of a contractor-operated correctional facility; or 4. Persons against whom arrest warrants have been issued. (g) For any arrest made by a person designated as a law enforcement officer under this subsection, the arrested person shall be surrendered without delay to the sheriff of the county in which the arrest is made, with a formal complaint subsequently made against her or him in accordance with law.