Lawmaker Promotes Early Release for Inmates
(Posted October 31, 2011 08:20 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Clearing Florida's bulging prison population is the topic of the state House Criminal Justice Subcommittee. The debate is about HB177, a bill to provide early release for non-violent drug offenders who are currently clogging prisons and crimping the state's budget. Rep. Ari Porth (D-Coral Springs) introduced it.
"In the language in the bill, you have to serve 50
percent of your sentence before being reconsidered for
re-entry."
Porth says he did not expect much opposition, especially
since a bill like this one was approved by this
committee last year. Although at that time most of the
lawmakers on the panel voiced their opposition to the
bill, it passed favorably 12-3.
Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-Miami) agrees that the overall
concept of helping offenders with drug rehabilitation is
on the right track, but says he cannot get on board with
the bill as a whole.
"In order for a person to go to Florida State Prison on
a third-degree but non-violent felony, they have to have
a ton of priors. You're looking at people who have had
not their first, their second, their third, their fourth
or their fifth chance. You're talking about people who
are on their 17th and 20th."
The senate sponsor of the bill is Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff
(R-Fort Lauderdale). The bill's next committee stop is
the House Rule-Making and Regulation Subcommittee. The
legislative session begins in January.