Mario Lopez was out of jail for almost a year. A former Miami resident who has served prison terms for grand theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, Lopez, 45, was arrested again today, accused of swindling more than $2,100 and two passports from people who thought they were paying for a trip to Ecuador, Pasco County Sheriff's Office records said. Florida Department of Corrections records show that Lopez, of 7111 Heibner Ave., Hudson, was released from the Hernando County Jail on March 31, 2008, where he was sentenced to 1 year, 10 months for fraudulent use of a credit card. ...more

March 24, 2009

Florida's corrections system would have to close prisons and end education and substance abuse programs under a state budget scenario unveiled Thursday. ...more

March 20, 2009

California corrections officials have released a new photograph of convicted mass murderer Charles Manson, who is now bald with a thick gray beard. ...more

March 19, 2009

The agency that oversees Florida's six privately run prisons needs to ensure that problems found during audits — such as broken alarms and unsanitary infirmaries — are quickly fixed, lawmakers were told today as part of a report reviewing the agency. ...more

March 12, 2009

The news story on March 7 regarding the organized theft of baby formula provides an interesting commentary on the cost of crime. ...more

March 11, 2009

Keeping inmates in other states might not be cheaper than keeping them here, but the state would be able to save the cost of building new prisons. ...more

March 7, 2009

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush loved his Blackberry so much he had it painted into his official state portrait, but a new report shows the state's love affair with wireless devices may have gotten out of hand. ...more

March 4, 2009

Police are looking for two people who broke into a Palmetto boarding home early this morning and shot dead a teenager who was in his bedroom. ...more

February 28, 2009

For years, Rosemarie Sherwood acted as a house mother and adviser to abused homeless women, teaching them skills like saving and budgeting money so they could survive on their own. ...more

February 26, 2009

A Winter Haven mental health counselor was arrested today, accused of trying to extort money from one of his clients. ...more

February 16, 2009