Activists rally in Tallahassee to call for changes in Florida prisons

Families, advocates and lawmakers will hold a news conference at 9 a.m. Thursday at the state capitol to call for changes inside Florida prisons.

This comes as two bills aimed to address prison conditions and treatment of inmates have stalled in the Florida Legislature. One addresses the treatment of inmates and the other supports the need for air conditioning in Department of Corrections housing.

RELATED: Crumbling infrastructure, staffing shortages, growing population: Florida prisons could be headed toward crisis

A group from Jacksonville is among those attending the rally in Tallahassee.

The mom of Department of Corrections inmate Cameron McIntyre told News4JAX that her son contracted tuberculosis inside the Duval County Jail and his condition has gotten worse.

She pushed for him to be granted a compassionate medical release, but she said that was denied.

McIntyre is serving a 20-year prison sentence for murder. His mother, Marsha McIntyre Lowe, said his tuberculosis landed him in a prison hospital where he went from 180 pounds to just 98 pounds.

She said he’s had multiple seizures and is also now paralyzed.

McIntyre Lowe said the prison itself has been accommodating but she believes there needs to be change with the medical company overseeing his care.

“It does not matter what they’re in there for. They are still human beings, and they still deserve a level of care,” McIntyre Lowe said, pointing out that the state gets money to care for inmates. “They still deserve a level of care.”