Today the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee passed out a sweeping criminal justice reform bill on a voice vote with the strong leadership of Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff.
Included in the bill is a provision that the private surety bail industry has worked hard for during the 2011 Florida Legislative session . . . a measure to restrict the eligibility for defendants released into government-funded pretrial services programs.
The reform bill is restricted to only counties with populations larger than 350,000 and would give defendants 48 hours to find an bail agent or post a cash bond. The reform bill also stipulates that defendants are only eligible for government-funded release if their income is below 300 percent of the poverty level.
This measure will slow the encroachment of government-funded pretrial release and re-focus efforts on the truly indigent, nonviolent offender. The measure will also improve public safety by ensuring the defendant is financially accountable for appearance in court and refraining from further criminal activity.
The reform bill has now passed through a substantive committee in each chamber and is now eligible for floor action in each.
Public policy affects public safety!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
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It's been really great going through your blog post, very well informed and described. Great to read and know more about such kind of stuff.
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non violent offenders should not have to serve the mandatory 85% of their sentence, especially the "excessively" long sentences that are so frequently given by this court system , to "non violent" offenders!!!
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