Earlier this year, Florida barely escaped a dangerous push to privatize 29 prisons in the state. The legislation aimed at privatizing prisons was introduced, in part, to address the serious overcrowding in Florida's prisons. This significantly dangerous overcrowding can partially be attributed to Florida's severe mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

The number of prisoners incarcerated in Florida I categorizes Florida as having the third highest state incarceration rate in the country. Florida's prison population has grown significantly over the last few decades. In 1980 there were 20,000 individuals incarcerated in Florida. Today, there are approximately 101,000 prisoners housed in the state.