# Florida

Florida’s Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) certifies correctional officers, including county jail and contractor-employed officers, and correctional probation officers under the same standards as police. Since 2023 the State has extended the sexual misconduct felony to volunteers and contractor staff, moved private prisons under the Department of Corrections (DOC) and its Inspector General, authorized force for emergency psychiatric treatment and court-ordered care, and adopted a new 445-hour corrections academy.

Source: https://uscli.org/corrections-tracker/florida

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC), staffed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), which certifies law enforcement, correctional, and correctional probation officers; see the [Florida Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/florida). A “correctional officer” is anyone employed full time by the State, a political subdivision, or a contracting private entity “whose primary responsibility is the supervision, protection, care, custody, and control, or investigation, of inmates,” so county jail detention deputies are CJSTC-certified correctional officers ([F.S. 943.10(2), (3)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0943/0943.html); 943.12; 943.1395(1)).
- **Statute:** F.S. 943.085 to 943.257 (officer standards and training); chapter 944 (Department of Corrections, including 944.35 on use of force and 944.241 on pregnant prisoners); chapter 945 (DOC administration and inmate mental health); chapter 951 (county and municipal detention facilities); chapter 948 (probation); and 112.531 to 112.536 (Law Enforcement Officers’ and Correctional Officers’ Bill of Rights). CJSTC rules are in Florida Administrative Code chapter 11B.
- **Minimum standards:** The F.S. 943.13 standards on the Officer Ledger page apply, with one difference: officers must be at least 19, “except that any person employed as a full-time, a part-time, or an auxiliary correctional officer must be at least 18 years of age.” Officers must be U.S. citizens and high school graduates or the equivalent; a felony, a misdemeanor involving perjury or a false statement, or a dishonorable discharge disqualifies. They also need fingerprints on file, a physical exam, good moral character shown by a background investigation, an applicant affidavit, a Commission-approved basic recruit program, and a passing State certification exam. The same standards apply to correctional probation officers ([F.S. 943.13](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0943/0943.html)).
- **Basic training:** The statute sets no hours; they appear in FDLE’s course list, and Rule 11B-35.002 was not read. FDLE’s Active Courses list (November 21, 2025) shows the Florida Basic Recruit Training Program: Corrections (Version 2025.07) at 445 hours, effective July 1, 2025; the Correctional Probation program at 562 hours; and crossover programs of 223 hours (law enforcement to corrections) and 336 hours (corrections to correctional probation). Certified academies deliver them (F.S. 943.17; [FDLE active courses](https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/cjstc/curriculum/active-courses)).
- **In-service training:** 40 hours of Commission-approved continuing training or education every 4 years, documented by the employing agency as job-related; noncompliance makes certification inactive until cured ([F.S. 943.135(1)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0943/0943.html); 943.1395(4)). The Officer Ledger page has the same rule.
- **Decertification:** The same CJSTC process as for law enforcement officers: mandatory revocation for failing the 943.13(4) standards or an intentionally false affidavit, and discretionary sanctions for failing to keep good moral character (F.S. 943.1395(6), (7)); see the [Florida Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/florida). Since June 25, 2024, misdemeanor introduction of contraband into a correctional facility is a moral character violation, as that page records. The Brady list protections in F.S. 112.532 and 112.536 cover correctional officers.
- **Jail standards:** The Florida Model Jail Standards Working Group (three sheriffs and a correctional health physician appointed by the Florida Sheriffs Association, and a county commissioner, a jail administrator, and a psychiatrist appointed by the Florida Association of Counties) develops the Florida Model Jail Standards. Every sheriff, county, or city running a detention facility “shall adopt, at a minimum” those standards. Each facility is inspected at least twice a year, at least 120 days apart; the standards classify “serious” and “notable” violations, and a facility “may not refuse to be inspected” ([F.S. 951.23(4)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0951/0951.html); 951.2302).
- **Probation and parole officers:** Correctional probation officers are DOC employees certified by CJSTC under the same 943.13 standards. A “correctional probation officer” is a State employee “whose primary responsibility is the supervised custody, surveillance, and control of assigned inmates, probationers, parolees, or community controllees.” They complete the 562-hour Correctional Probation program and 40 hours of continuing training every 4 years, and they share the death and injury benefits in F.S. 112.19 ([F.S. 943.10(3)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0943/0943.html); 943.135).
- **Restrictive housing:** No general statutory limit on solitary confinement or restrictive housing was found; it is governed by DOC rule. The only statutory limit is for pregnant prisoners under the Tammy Jackson Act: a pregnant prisoner “may not be involuntarily placed in restrictive housing” unless the corrections official makes an individualized determination that it is necessary for health, safety, or security and that no less restrictive means exist, followed by a written report. This applies to DOC, the Department of Juvenile Justice, county and municipal jails, and private facilities ([F.S. 944.241(2)(k), (4)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0944/0944.html)).
- **Corrections use of force:** DOC employees may use force on an inmate “only when and to the extent that it reasonably appears necessary” for self-defense or defense of others, preventing escape, preventing property damage, quelling a disturbance, overcoming resistance to a lawful command, or physician-supervised medical treatment. A health care provider must examine everyone involved afterward, and each employee who used force or decided to use it must file a signed, independent report within 1 working day, which goes to the Inspector General for review. Malicious battery on an inmate is a crime, and sexual misconduct with an inmate is a third-degree felony ([F.S. 944.35(1) to (3)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0944/0944.html)). Force for emergency psychiatric treatment and restraint is governed by F.S. 945.48, rewritten in 2025. Pregnant prisoners: no restraints in labor, delivery, or postpartum recovery without an individualized finding of extraordinary circumstances; never leg, ankle, or waist restraints in labor or delivery; written findings within 10 days, kept 5 years; and only front wrist restraints in the third trimester (944.241(3)).

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Mar 30, 2026 — **Juvenile detention and juvenile probation officers added to the chapter 943 “officer” definition** — Ch. 2026-16, Laws of Fla. (CS/CS/HB 1153), amending F.S. 943.10 · Approved March 30, 2026; “This act shall take effect upon becoming a law” — F.S. 943.10(14) now reads: “‘Officer’ means any person employed or appointed as a full-time, part-time, or auxiliary law enforcement officer, correctional officer, correctional probation officer, juvenile detention officer, or juvenile probation officer.” New definitions (23) and (24) cover Department of Juvenile Justice secure-detention staff and its intake, case management, and supervision staff. The definitions of adult correctional and correctional probation officers are unchanged. As the Florida Officer Ledger page notes, the act does not amend 943.13 or 943.1395, and whether CJSTC now certifies these juvenile officers was not determined. — **For corrections staff:** Adult correctional and correctional probation certification is unaffected; juvenile justice staff should watch for CJSTC guidance on how the new definition applies to them. — [Ch. 2026-16, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2026/16)[F.S. 943.10](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0943/0943.html)
- Jul 1, 2025 — **Force allowed for emergency psychiatric treatment, restraint, hygiene, and court-ordered care; self-injury court orders** — Ch. 2025-81, Laws of Fla. (CS/CS/HB 903), amending F.S. 945.41 to 945.48 and creating 945.485 and 760.701 · Approved May 22, 2025; effective July 1, 2025 — The act substantially rewords F.S. 945.48. Under new subsection (3), “An employee or agent of the department is authorized to apply physical force upon an inmate when and to the extent that it reasonably appears necessary to effectuate the treatment of an inmate as described in this section, for the application of psychiatric restraint, to effectuate clinically necessary hygiene, or pursuant to a valid court order issued under s. 945.44 or s. 945.485,” following F.S. 944.35. Under new 945.485, when a competent inmate is actively self-injuring, refuses treatment, and threatens staff safety or institutional order, the warden petitions the circuit court for an order compelling treatment. The act also requires exhaustion of remedies, a physical injury or another listed act, and a 1-year limitation period for prisoner suits over conditions of confinement (760.701; 95.11), and exempts DOC personnel from the tracking-device statute (934.425). The specific deletions from the old 945.48 could not be read in the session law text. — **For corrections staff:** Force for psychiatric restraint, hygiene, or court-ordered treatment is authorized, but it must follow the 944.35 medical-exam and reporting rules. — [Ch. 2025-81, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2025/81)[F.S. 945.48, 945.485](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0945/0945.html)
- Jul 1, 2025 — **Family health coverage extended to officers injured in official training** — Ch. 2025-131, Laws of Fla. (CS/HB 751), amending F.S. 112.19 · Approved June 10, 2025; effective July 1, 2025 — A law enforcement, correctional, or correctional probation officer and the officer’s spouse and dependent children are eligible for employer-paid health insurance coverage if the officer suffers a catastrophic injury, resulting from a fresh pursuit, an emergency response, or another person’s unlawful act, in the line of duty “or while engaged in an official training exercise” (act title). — **For corrections staff:** A catastrophic injury in an official training exercise can now qualify for employer-paid family health coverage under F.S. 112.19, if it results from responding to a fresh pursuit, a reasonably believed emergency, or another person’s unlawful act. — [Ch. 2025-131, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2025/131)[F.S. 112.19](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0112/0112.html)
- Jul 1, 2025 — **New 445-hour corrections basic recruit program** — CJSTC basic recruit program 3016, Florida Basic Recruit Training Program: Corrections (Version 2025.07), under F.S. 943.17 · Effective July 1, 2025, per FDLE’s course list — FDLE’s Active Courses list shows “3016 Florida Basic Recruit Training Program: Corrections (Version 2025.07) 445 E-07/01/25,” meaning effective July 1, 2025. The Correctional Probation program (562 hours) and the crossover programs were also updated as Version 2025.07 on that date. This entry rests on the course list only: the text and history of Rule 11B-35.002 could not be read, and the hours of the previous corrections program were not confirmed. — **For corrections staff:** Recruits entering a corrections academy on or after July 1, 2025 train under the 445-hour curriculum. — [FDLE CJSTC Active Courses (November 21, 2025)](https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/getContentAsset/33aa57b2-c164-4932-858b-77fd35cb8a4f/73aabf56-e6e5-4330-95a3-5f2a270a1d2b/Active-Courses-Master-11-21-25.pdf?language=en)
- Oct 1, 2024 — **Correctional and correctional probation officers may choose a medical specialist for presumption conditions** — Ch. 2024-209, Laws of Fla. (CS/CS/SB 808), amending F.S. 112.18 · Approved May 29, 2024; effective October 1, 2024 — Firefighters, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and correctional probation officers entitled to the F.S. 112.18 presumption for tuberculosis, heart disease, or hypertension may be treated by a medical specialist. Except in emergencies, the officer “must provide written notice of his or her selection of a medical specialist” to the workers’ compensation carrier, self-insured employer, or third-party administrator, which must authorize the selected specialist or an alternative specialist with the same or greater qualifications. Continuing care must be reasonable, necessary, and related, and the act sets the reimbursement rate. — **For corrections staff:** Notify the carrier in writing of the specialist you choose; the carrier may substitute an equally qualified specialist. — [Ch. 2024-209, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2024/209)[F.S. 112.18](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0112/0112.html)
- Jul 1, 2024 — **Inspector General criminal investigations reach contractor-operated prisons** — Ch. 2024-84, Laws of Fla. (CS/CS/HB 1337), amending F.S. 944.31, 944.710, and conforming sections · Approved April 11, 2024; effective July 1, 2024 — “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.” Throughout the statutes, including 943.13 and 944.35, “private correctional facility” becomes “contractor-operated correctional facility” and “private correctional officer” becomes “contractor-employed correctional officer.” Privatization contracts are subject to State contracting provisions unless otherwise specified. — **For corrections staff:** Officers at contractor-run prisons are subject to DOC Inspector General criminal investigations. — [Ch. 2024-84, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2024/84)[F.S. 944.31](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0944/0944.html)
- Jul 1, 2024 — **Local civilian review of correctional officer misconduct preempted** — Ch. 2024-86, Laws of Fla. (HB 601), amending F.S. 112.533 and creating 30.61 and 166.0486 · Approved April 12, 2024; effective July 1, 2024 — A political subdivision may not adopt or enforce an ordinance on receiving, processing, or investigating misconduct complaints against law enforcement or correctional officers, or on “Civilian oversight of law enforcement agencies’ investigations of complaints of misconduct by law enforcement or correctional officers.” Each agency’s own complaint process under F.S. 112.533 is the exclusive procedure. Sheriffs and police chiefs may create civilian oversight boards that review policies and procedures. This reaches county jail correctional officers. The [Florida Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/florida) covers the act in full. — **For corrections staff:** Complaints against you are handled through your agency’s statutory process, not a local review board. — [Ch. 2024-86, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2024/86)
- Oct 1, 2023 — **Sexual misconduct felony extended to volunteers and contractor employees; private prisons moved to DOC** — Ch. 2023-268, Laws of Fla. (CS/CS/SB 7016), amending F.S. 944.35(3) and other sections · Approved June 20, 2023; “This act shall take effect October 1, 2023” — The third-degree felony for sexual misconduct with an inmate or an offender supervised in the community now reaches “Any employee of the department or a private correctional facility or any volunteer in, or any employee of a contractor or subcontractor of, the department or a private correctional facility.” Consent is no defense, with exceptions for legal marriage and lack of knowledge. A violation found by the Public Employees Relations Commission is cause for dismissal and a permanent bar from correctional employment. The act also transferred private correctional facilities from the Department of Management Services to DOC (a type two transfer) and made conforming changes to F.S. 943.13; the age-18 minimum for correctional officers predates the act. — **For corrections staff:** Contractor staff and volunteers now face the same felony exposure as DOC employees for sexual contact with inmates. — [Ch. 2023-268, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2023/268)[F.S. 944.35](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0944/0944.html)
- Jul 1, 2023 — **Brady list protections cover correctional officers** — Ch. 2023-230, Laws of Fla. (CS/HB 95), amending F.S. 112.531 and 112.532 and creating 112.536 · Approved June 13, 2023; effective July 1, 2023 — “A law enforcement officer or correctional officer may not be discharged, suspended, demoted, or otherwise disciplined, or threatened with discharge, suspension, demotion, or other discipline, by his or her employing agency solely as a result of a prosecuting agency determining that the officer’s name and information should be included in a Brady identification system.” Discipline for the underlying conduct remains possible. Employing agencies must send specified information to prosecutors and notify the officer, and prosecutors who keep lists must adopt written policies with notice and reconsideration. The [Florida Officer Ledger page](https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/florida) covers the procedure and its exceptions. — **For corrections staff:** Being on a prosecutor’s Brady list cannot by itself cost you your job. — [Ch. 2023-230, Laws of Fla.](https://laws.flrules.org/2023/230)[F.S. 112.532](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0112/0112.html)

## Enacted, not yet in force, pending, and bills that did not pass

No enacted corrections change awaiting its effective date was found. Failed 2023 to 2026 bills, for example on restrictive housing or prison heat, were not compiled; only enacted laws cited in the 2026 Florida Statutes history notes for chapters 112, 943, 944, 945, 948, and 951 were screened. Bills for the 2027 session were not checked.

## Checked and unchanged

- F.S. 943.1395 (certification and discipline) was last amended in 2021 and 943.135 (continuing training) in 2010, as the Florida Officer Ledger page records. The 2023 and 2024 amendments to 943.13 changed contractor and DOC wording, not officer qualifications.
- The CJSTC rule changes on the Officer Ledger page (2023 to 2026) apply to correctional officers as well, including the June 25, 2024 contraband violation and the July 2, 2026 sexual harassment and relationship changes.
- Not reviewed: the ch. 2026-16 changes to F.S. 112.193 and 112.194 (juvenile officer protections), and the text of Rule 11B-35.002, which could not be retrieved.