Prison Health Services, Inc. was hired to run the Escambia County Jail infirmary by then jail director Dennis Williams in 2001. They were replaced by Armor Correctional Health Services in 2006 after Prison Health Services lost its accreditation that summer after an inspection of the infirmary.
In 2005, the New York Times published a story on the privatization of health care in jails across the country. It found that PHS was battling lawsuits all over the country.
A yearlong examination of Prison Health by The New York Times reveals repeated instances of medical care that has been flawed and sometimes lethal. The company’s performance around the nation has provoked criticism from judges and sheriffs, lawsuits from inmates’ families and whistle-blowers, and condemnations by federal, state and local authorities. The company has paid millions of dollars in fines and settlements.
Read As Health Care in Jails Goes Private, 10 Days Can Be a Death Sentence
Doyle Moore founded Prison Health Services 1978 and left it to found Armor in 2004. The South Florida company was an instant financial success. Why?
This blog post has Miami Herald article on how sheriffs helped the new company get lucrative contracts: Sheriffs Riding Shotgun