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The state’s Department of Corrections is feeling the pressure from civil rights groups during a corruption crisis. As Matt Galka tells us, inmate deaths and whistleblower claims are starting to pile up.

Mentally-ill inmate Darren Rainey died two years ago at the Dade Correctional Institution. But his death was anything but natural.

Rainey was allegedly punished by prison guards and forced into a scalding hot shower for more than two hours.  He was basically cooked alive. The American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, and other civil rights groups are calling for a federal investigation into the Department of Corrections for ignoring the incident.

“We need the department of Justice, the United States Department of Justice, to come to Florida to hold the Department of Corrections accountable and hold some of the guards responsible for the killing of inmates,” said ACLU Executive Director Howard Simon.

The problems for the DOC keep mounting – four investigators are suing the department seeking whistleblower protections. The lawsuit comes after alleged retaliation against the four employees after they discovered a misleading inmate death report at Franklin Correctional. Attorney Steven Andrews says inmate Randall Jordan-Aparo was gassed to death by guards at the state prison.

“That kid got an 18 month death sentence, is what it amounted to. Furthermore, I don’t know any circuit court judge would ever sentence someone to prison if they had any idea that they were going to be abused like these inmates apparently were,” said Andrews.

DOC Secretary Michael Crews travelled to South Florida Thursday for a full assessment of Rainey’s hot shower death.  Crews said he’s prepared to fire anyone involved. He announced Thursday that the Warden of Dade Correctional has been suspended for two years and placed on paid administrative leave.