REMINDER: Call To Action – STOP Lifetime GPS

We are currently in Pre-legislative session when all the bills are being considered.

This year, as we have mentioned, there is a “Lifetime Monitoring” bill which will require that ALL sex offenders for offenses after October 2015 will be put on LIFETIME GPS.

We know how absurd this bill is but we need your help in educating the community and the legislators.

We need you to step up and have your friends, family and supporters step up as well. Send a email or call your legislator telling them you don’t think HB203 or (SB134) is good policy for Florida, It is not based on empirical research, and will be an unsustainable cost to the tax payers.

 

ASK YOUR LEGISLATOR TO VOTE NO ON   HB 203 & SB 134

 

 

Points:

•             Does nothing for prevention, the monitor does not prevent new offenses and is contrary to allowing an offender to effectively re-integrate back into society. The monitor creates a hardship for an offender to even go food shopping. It goes off in most large retail locations.

Publix, Target just to name a few, not allowing them to complete their shopping. They must go outside to re-establish their signal and vacate their purchase.

•             Burden for cost will fall back to the tax payer both for the cost of monitoring as well as the cost of incarceration for a violation. It will also present false information on numbers relating to recidivism.

•             Not supported by empirical evidence,.  After about 8 years and again in half after 10… After 15 years the risk drops to zero 0… NO greater risk than anyone else in the community who has never been convicted of a sex offense. Sex offenders have a low recidivism rate to begin with as compared to the other offender populations.

•             Creates a revolving door back to the prison, is contrary to public interest and contrary to smart justice.

 

•  Denies Liberty and Due Process

 

There is no basis other than punishment and ignorance which drives such policy.

 

It is your responsibility to reach out to your legislators and all those on the Criminal Justice Sub Committees in both the house and senate to advise them this is not what Florida wants or needs. (SEE LIST AND CONTACTS BELOW)

 

TO FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS:

 

www.myfloridahouse.gov click on Representatives or enter your address

www.flsenate.gov click on senator or enter your zip code

 

 

 

House of Representatives Criminal Justice Sub Committee

 

Chair  12/8/2014 – 8/1/2015

Trujillo, Carlos [R]                      carlos.trujillo@myfloridahouse.gov         850.717.5105

Vice Chair  12/8/2014 – 8/1/2015

Van Zant, Charles E. [R]          Charles.vanzant@myfloridahouse.gov   850.717.5019

Democratic Ranking Member 12/19/2014 – 8/1/2015

Bracy, Randolph [D]                 randolf.bracy@myfloridahouse.gov        850.717.5045

 

 

Baxley, Dennis K. [R]                     dennis.baxley@myfloridahouse.gov       850.717.5023

Fant, Jay [R]                                      jay.fant@myfloridahouse.gov                   850.717.5015

Harrell, Gayle B. [R]                        gayle.harrell@myfloridahouse.gov          850.717.5083

Kerner, Dave [D]                             dave.kerner@myfloridahouse.gov          850.717.5087

Latvala, Chris [R]                              chris.latvala@myfloridahouse.gov           850.717.5067

Pilon, Ray [R]                                    ray.pilon@myfloridahouse.gov                 850.717.5072

Plakon, Scott [R]                              scott.plakon@myfloridahouse.gov          850.717.5029

Pritchett, Sharon [D]                     sharon.pritchett@myfloridahouse.gov  850.717.5102

Spano, Ross [R]                                                ross.spano@myfloridahouse.gov                             850.717.5059

Watson, Jr., Clovis [D]                   clovis.watson@myfloridahouse.gov        850.717.5020

 

 

 

Senate Criminal Justice Sub Committee

 

Chairman:

Greg Evers [R]                                   evers.greg@flsenate.gov                             850.487.5002

 

Vice Chair

Audrey Gibson [D]                          gibson.audrey@flsenate.gov                     850.487.5009

 

Rob Bradley [R]                                 bradley.rob@flsenate.gov                           850.487.5007

Jeff Brandes [R]                                                brandes.jeff@flsenate.gov                         850.487.5022

Jeff Clemens [D]                              clemens.jeff@flsenate.gov                         850.487.5027

 

 

 

Florida Senate – 2015                                     SB 134 (HB 203 is identical)

By Senator Diaz de la Portilla                                                                                House Sponsor  Representative Frank Artiles HB 203

40-00226-15                                            2015134__

1                        A bill to be entitled

2         An act relating to lifetime electronic monitoring of

3         sex offenders; creating s. 943.71, F.S.; establishing

4         the lifetime electronic monitoring program within the

5         Department of Law Enforcement; requiring the

6         implementation of an electronic monitoring system to

7         monitor sex offenders sentenced to lifetime electronic

8         monitoring; requiring tracking the movement and

9         location of each sex offender; requiring timely

10         reporting and recording of the sex offender’s presence

11         in certain circumstances; requiring that such records

12         be available upon request; requiring a sex offender

13         sentenced to lifetime electronic monitoring to wear or

14         carry an electronic monitoring device as determined by

15         the department; requiring the sex offender to

16         reimburse the department for the cost of the lifetime

17         electronic monitoring; creating s. 943.711, F.S.;

18         defining the term “sex offender”; requiring a

19         convicted sex offender to be sentenced to lifetime

20         electronic monitoring; providing criminal penalties;

21         authorizing a term of imprisonment imposed for

22         specified violations relating to lifetime electronic

23         monitoring to run consecutively with other violations;

24         providing an effective date.

25

26         WHEREAS, the Legislature is concerned about convicted sex

27  offenders who are released from custody or supervision and

28  repeat the unlawful acts for which they were originally

29  convicted, and

30         WHEREAS, the Legislature has a compelling interest in

31  protecting children and other individuals from predatory sexual

32  activity, and

33         WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that, despite registration

34  and reporting requirements, law enforcement agencies encounter

35  difficulties in locating many convicted sex offenders, and

36         WHEREAS, a 2012 report by the Office of Program Policy

37  Analysis and Government Accountability found that 40 percent of

38  sheriff’s offices surveyed reported that they had difficulty

39  locating convicted sex offenders who provide transient

40  residences, and

41         WHEREAS, the Legislature believes that some convicted sex

42  offenders report their addresses as “transient” for the express

43  purpose of avoiding law enforcement oversight, and

44         WHEREAS, requiring a convicted sex offender to wear an

45  electronic monitoring device for the duration of his or her

46  natural life would provide law enforcement with the capability

47  of determining the offender’s precise location, and

48         WHEREAS, an electronic monitoring system would immediately

49  inform law enforcement if a convicted sex offender was near a

50  prohibited area such as a park, a child care facility, a school,

51  or another location where children regularly congregate, and

52         WHEREAS, the implementation of this electronic monitoring

53  technology can assist law enforcement agencies in marshaling

54  their resources to more effectively protect children and others

55  from predatory sexual activity, NOW, THEREFORE,

56

57  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

58

59         Section 1. Section 943.71, Florida Statutes, is created to

60  read:

61         943.71 Lifetime electronic monitoring program.—

62         (1) The lifetime electronic monitoring program is

63  established in the department, which shall implement a system of

64  monitoring sex offenders who are released from prison,

65  probation, community control, or conditional release and who are

66  sentenced by the court to lifetime electronic monitoring. The

67  lifetime electronic monitoring program shall require all of the

68  following:

69         (a) Electronic tracking of the movement and location of

70  each sex offender sentenced to lifetime electronic monitoring

71  from the time that he or she is released from prison, probation,

72  community control, or conditional release for the remainder of

73  his or her natural life.

74         (b) Use of an electronic system that actively monitors and

75  identifies a sex offender’s location and movement, and timely

76  reports and records his or her presence near or within a crime

77  scene or in a prohibited area or his or her departure from

78  specified geographic limitations. Such recorded information must

79  be available upon request to the court or a law enforcement

80  agency.

81         (2) A sex offender who is sentenced to lifetime electronic

82  monitoring shall wear or otherwise carry an electronic

83  monitoring device as determined by the department and in the

84  manner prescribed by the program. A sex offender subject to

85  electronic monitoring by the department shall pay the department

86  for the electronic monitoring services as provided in s.

87  948.09(2).

88         Section 2. Section 943.711, Florida Statutes, is created to

89  read:

90         943.711 Lifetime electronic monitoring.—

91         (1) For purposes of this section, “sex offender” means an

92  offender convicted of a crime committed in this state on or

93  after October 1, 2015, for which he or she is required to

94  register pursuant to s. 775.21, s. 943.0435, or s. 944.607.

95         (2) A person convicted as a sex offender shall be sentenced

96  to lifetime electronic monitoring as provided under s. 943.71.

97         (3) A sex offender who willfully or knowingly commits any

98  of the following acts commits a felony of the third degree,

99  punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084:

100         (a) Intentionally altering, tampering with, damaging, or

101  destroying electronic monitoring equipment.

102         (b) Failure to notify the Department of Corrections of any

103  damage to an electronic monitoring device.

104         (c) Failure to reimburse the Department of Corrections or

105  its agent for the cost of electronic monitoring.

106         (4) A term of imprisonment imposed for a violation of this

107  section may be served consecutively to any term of imprisonment

108  imposed for any other violation of law which is committed by the

109  offender while in violation of this section.

110         Section 3. This act shall take effect October 1, 2015.