(1) The level and quality of programs provided by a private vendor at a private correctional facility must be at least equal to programs provided at a correctional facility operated by the department that houses similar types of inmates and must be at a cost that provides the state with a substantial savings, as determined by a private accounting firm selected by the Department of Corrections.

(2) All private correctional officers employed by a private vendor must be certified, at the private vendor’s expense, as having met the minimum qualifications established for correctional officers under s. 943.13.

(3) Pursuant to the terms of the contract, a private vendor shall design, construct, and operate a private correctional facility in accordance with the standards established by the American Correctional Association and approved by the department at the time of the contract. In addition, a private correctional facility shall meet any higher standard mandated in the full or partial settlement of any litigation challenging the constitutional conditions of confinement to which the department is a named defendant. The standards required under a contract for operating a private correctional facility may be higher than the standards required for accreditation by the American Correctional Association. A private vendor shall comply with all federal and state constitutional requirements, federal, state, and local laws, department rules, and all court orders.

History.—s. 17, ch. 89-526; s. 12, ch. 2019-113.