Technology

Dozens and perhaps hundreds of individuals who applied to visit inmates at Everglades Correctional Institution (ECI) in Miami-Dade County last weekend had their personal contact information shared with every inmate at that facility, according to five different individuals who have spoken to the Phoenix over the past four days.

The Florida Department of Corrections has not commented publicly about the incident since it occurred last week.

That data breach has frightened and infuriated some of the women who had their names, email addresses, and telephone numbers released to those incarcerated at the prison located near the Florida Everglades.

Inmates received that information via an email sent out by a staff member of the facility on Thursday. Florida inmates have access to emails through both interactive kiosks as well as secure tablets.

“It’s kind of disturbing when you think about it,” said Madeline Donate, who regularly visits her husband at the prison. “The privacy aspect of this is concerning. This is how other inmates get information and can sometimes extort family members and things like that. It’s concerning.”

Jan Thompson said she fears extortion.

“What if there’s some inmate that doesn’t like another inmate?” she said. “And he tells his family, ‘Okay, here’s his wife’s phone number. Call her and tell her if she doesn’t pay and put $500 on my book, I’m going to have her husband stabbed and killed.’ What’s stopping them from doing that?”

(Inmates can receive funds for deposit into their “inmate trust accounts” from individuals already identified on the inmate’s automated visiting record).

“I’m very worried. This is not okay,” added a woman who wanted to be identified only as Dakota, her middle name. “Someone needs to be held accountable for this. They need to take the necessary precautions to ensure that this does not happen. And what about this information that’s out there? There’s what, 1,600 [inmates] there? They all have information. God knows what they could do with it.”