"This is who Betty Reed was – a committed advocate to her neighbors who was willing to work tirelessly to achieve results that bettered the lives of Floridians."
Democratic lawmakers want reform, accountability at Lowell prison
Four Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday held a virtual press conference to shine a spotlight on the situation at Lowell Correctional Institution.
At the roughly 45-minute event, the politicians all agreed that changes are needed and there needs to be some accountability at the all-women prison located along Gainesville Road in northwest Marion County.
The meeting was organized to address a federal report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice s Civil Rights Division, which spent more than two years investigating conditions at the oldest and largest female prison in the nation. The DOJ and the U.S. Attorney s Office for the Middle District of Florida, which includes Marion County, allege, among other things, that Lowell staffers have not protected prisoners from sexual abuse.