Florida senators are meeting today to discuss prison reform. They're looking at a bill that would punish guards who abuse inmates as well as other staff that contribute to prisoner mistreatment.
With more than 340 recorded deaths, 2014 marked the deadliest year on record for Florida's prison system.
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Hundreds of deaths are currently being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE and now fired former chief Gerald Bailey had requested funds to help with the case load. Scott originally didn't include that money.
"The Governor's office did not fund that particular issue now, but they've committed to funding it once FDLE and I come to an agreement with an MOU and then give the Governor's office with an estimate for the resources we'll need going forward." according to the Department of Corrections Secretary, Julie Jones.
Part of that funding includes money for filling 300 staff vacancies. Critics of the plan say that's not enough, but some House and Senate leaders say they're ready to do whatever they can to help fix the system.
"I don't know what the answers are so I can't commit to a certain issue or what have you, but we've always worked closely with the Department on budget requests, I don't ever remember us saying 'no, we're not going to give you the tools to be successful." said Florida House Speaker, Steve Crisafulli.
Governor Rick Scott's 77 billion dollar budget proposal includes more than 50 million dollars of new money designed to clean up Florida's prison system.