No one wanted to better themselves,” Demoreta explained to me in an interview for this article. “When I first came to prison it seemed like every person I met operated out of a mindset of violence.

The initiative focuses on improving the quality of life inside prison, with attention paid to education, career counseling, leisure time, wellness, and planning for reintegration in civilian society before release. It’s a first-of-its-kind facility that cultivates an environment of learning and rehabilitation-a privilege offered to men who stay free of disciplinary reports for four years. The Everglades Correctional Institution in Miami opened its pilot program in January 2019 to great fanfare. With the exception of protective custody, and despite its 153-year history of violence, the FDC hasn’t adopted any new or innovative ideas to curb these problems throughout its correctional institutions-until recently. Demoreta works daily to better himself, but adapting to Florida’s violent prison system was difficult for him.Īs of mid-June, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) has 80, 246 inmates in their custody-the third highest incarceration rate in the nation-and many of them are nonviolent or first-time offenders trying to survive in a place notorious for gangs, fighting, and sexual abuse. “Not a day goes by where I don’t miss laughing and playing video games with my kids.”Ī first-time offender, my cellmate takes full responsibility for his actions-having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

“I had a perfect family and great life before I was arrested,” he said.

Photo courtesy Florida Department of Corrections.Įdward Demoreta, a 39-year-old resident at Everglades Correctional Institution (ECI) and former schoolteacher from West Palm Beach, Fl., isn’t the typical person you’d envision in prison.

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