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Issues in Criminal Justice (JF)
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Can Florida Develop an Effective Judicial System? |
New approach to corrections and public safety needed to keep public safe, costs down.
For many Florida legislators and policymakers, correcting criminal behavior appears to have become an afterthought and crime prevention has been put on the sidelines, according to an article in the Tallahassee Democrat.
Furthermore, sentencing guidelines, which require judges to impose a mandatory minimum penalty for a growing number of offenses, have become counterproductive and are largely to blame for burgeoning prison populations.
“We need a better balance between public safety and developing a way to get people who are incarcerated turned around,” said Walt McNeil, Florida Department of Corrections Secretary.
But as long as political popularity drives “tough-on-crime” legislation, Florida’s prison population will continue to skyrocket, along with the state’s corrections budget, which topped out at $2.82 billion last year.
A Justice Summit hosted by the Collins Center for Public Policy is scheduled for Nov. 16–17, at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa Bay, Fla. For two days, leaders from the business community, government and neighborhood groups will discuss smart solutions to Florida’s corrections crisis and call the state to action.
Prison Fellowship Vice President Pat Nolan will attend, and on Monday, Nov. 16, he and Jerry Madden, a Republican legislator from Texas, will host the discussion “Justice Reform in America.”
For more information on the summit, go here. For more information on the Collins Center, go here.
Visit Justice Fellowship’s prisoner reentry and faith-based initiatives resource pages to see what you can do to bring reason and mercy to your community reentry efforts. |
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