Bill > S1446

This bill makes several changes to Florida's criminal justice system: 1. It requires defendants convicted of simple possession of a controlled substance to be sentenced to a non-state prison sanction (such as probation) if their total sentence points are 60 or fewer, unless the court makes written findings that a non-prison sentence could endanger the public. 2. It allows certain defendants convicted of offenses with mandatory minimum sentences to request a departure from those mandatory minimums if certain criteria are met, such as not having a prior conviction for the same offense. 3. It revises the incentive gain-time (time off their sentence for good behavior) that the Department of Corrections can grant to prisoners, capping it at 20 days per month for offenses committed on or after October 1, 2019. Prisoners convicted of non-violent felonies must serve at least 65% of their sentence, while those convicted of other felonies must serve at least 85%. 4. It expands the conditional release program, which allows certain inmates to be released under supervision, to include those convicted of non-capital offenses and sentenced to life terms. The overall aim of this bill appears to be reducing the state prison population by diverting some non-violent drug offenders to non-prison sanctions and limiting gain-time, while also providing more opportunities for supervised release of certain inmates.

Justice

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2019/1446