Florida Compassionate Release Bill Excludes the Usual
State Rep. Bobby DuBose filed House Bill 837 which would grant early release to a prisoner who is suffering from “a significant terminal or non terminal condition, disease, or syndrome that has rendered the inmate so physically or cognitively impaired, debilitated, or incapacitated as to create a reasonable probability that the inmate does not constitute a danger to himself or herself or to others.” The bill would also set up an Aging Inmate Release Program so that inmates would be eligible if they are at least 70 years of age and have served at least 10 years in prison.
On the surface, this bill seems like good criminal justice reform, but as usual, the Bill excludes the usual exception for people convicted of murder or a sexual offense.
It’s time the legislature acknowledged that “sexual offenses” comprise an extremely broad range of offenses with differing culpability and differing levels of risk.
Please let Rep DuBose know that you oppose the carve out.
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I was thinking about filing a Mandamus on the Florida Registy because if it is Civil then I should be able to asked to be removed at the 10 yr mark because I Have Due process right to be heard and I be protesting the civil part of my Sentence that wasn’t part of a deal in 1991
I would strongly caution against filing anything ProSe.
I gotta do something I was talking to Val Jonas and then she stop emailing me. I have college education and had graduated with Honors.
I can’t find a decent job or any type of work I have enough of this crap and I have been waiting on the law suit that I have been donating too. I not trying to escape the fact I messed up when I was 19, I finished my prison time now that I am almost 50 and still doing a life sentence on the streets now. I just want to get on with my life after 30 yrs
Beefstew – when non-legal-professionals file Pro Se actions, they usually get dismissed on a procedural error or because their arguments are not as well researched or articulated as someone who is versed in legal research and writing. When those cases lose, they create bad presedent. When a well articulated and properly drafted complaint is subsequently filed, the state then points to the crappy case that lost and says the issue has already been addressed by the court and it’s a loser.
When people get frustrated and file “something” because they feel they need to do something, they wind up screwing the rest of us. It’s an awful, selfish thing to do and I hope that you wont take that route.
If Val stopped emailing you, it’s likely because she’s busy. She is the lead counsel on the “Ex Post Facto Plus” case and that takes a boat load of time. She’s also not a legal aid attorney nor an employee of FAC. If you’ve not retained her as your attorney (which you have to presume will include paying her), she has no obligation to respond to your emails. It’s the equivalent of writing to a random doctor to ask medical questions. Unless the person is your cousin, you can’t expect them to take their time and expertise to give you information.
Correct me if I am wrong, but part of Florida’s problem is that our legislature has never authorized or funded a Sex Offender Management Board — something that Congress wants done. California and Illinois have done so. Hopefully other states have, too. The management boards in California and Illinois are using evidence-based decisions in their reports to the states’ governing bodies. Much time is spent by these boards gathering the research and then making recommendations. As a result, the people on these boards really “get it”.
I cannot find that Florida has ever authorized such a board, preferring to base all laws and decisions on knee-jerk reactions and myths. I have included this fact in my letter to the three legislators that I am sending a letter to, hoping that some day Florida might also have such a board..
Exactly! If a SOMB would have ever been established, they would have findings to provide the legislature. Otherwise, they can only go off the petulant rants of Ron Book claiming 100% reoffense rates and “it’s not a matter of if, but when”
An SOMB could possibly help a bit but I wouldn’t put a lot of faith in that. California legislators simply routinely ignore theirs. Which of course means that they routinely ignore known facts. That is business as usual for moronic, criminal legislators.
And frankly, having an SOMB gives a bit of an impression that the Registries are more than just a steaming pile of excrement. That in itself is just wrong. There is no stance that is acceptable except that Registries aren’t.
The California SOMB helped lead the way to “tiers” in that state. But tiers are just another mistake. They are just another example of polishing the pile of excrement in the hopes that it will someday look pretty, useful, and legal. Tiers are simply saying that if we can just get the right “worst of the worst” people listed on the Registries, they will be magical. But that’s all wrong.
Personally, I expect I’d be listed on the lowest tier. I can petition today to be removed from the Registries. That doesn’t change my opinion about the Registries or tiers. Registries are dumb, and I need to remember that even if I’m not listed on one.
And again personally, I’m not waiting for the legislatures, courts, or anyone else to do the right thing. I’ve waited long enough. My patience ended. So I’ll continue today, tomorrow, etc. to ensure that the Registries are worthless and that they only exist at the highest possible level of harm, cost, effort, dysfunction, and suffering.
Yes, Will Allen, the Florida legislature could refuse to act on any findings from a SOMB, but they would no longer be able to hide behind their myths. Both Florida Statutes 775.21 and 943.0435 state, respectively:
“Sexual offenders are extremely likely to use physical violence and to repeat their offenses, and most sexual offenders commit many offenses, have many more victims than are ever reported, and are prosecuted for only a fraction of their crimes. This makes the cost of sexual offender victimization to society at large, while incalculable, clearly exorbitant.”
“The Legislature finds that sexual offenders, especially those who have committed offenses against minors, often pose a high risk of engaging in sexual offenses even after being released from incarceration or commitment…The designation of a person as a sexual offender is not a sentence or a punishment but is simply the status of the offender which is the result of a conviction for having committed certain crimes.”
The highest rate of recidivism that I have been able to find for any group is for child molesters of boys: 35.4% after 15 years (Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative SMART), but that means that 64.6% never re-offend, which is the majority. In addition, I have found that not all groups define recidivism the same way. Some have defined it as repeating the criminal act whether being arrested or not. With their thinking, if someone were to molest a boy three different times without being caught, then the adult has re-offended, but that is not the definition of recidivism. It is quite possible that some of those included in this 35.4% were never caught early on but never re-offended after serving time in prison.
The Florida Legislature thinks if they speak it, then it must be true.
You are right.
But if the legislators actually gave a flip, they’d know the facts before they supported the lies and then they wouldn’t. They don’t care. They want Registries. That is the end of the story. It doesn’t matter at all that Registries do nothing useful. It doesn’t matter at all that Registries cause more crime, including $EX crimes. It doesn’t matter at all that Registries get innocent people, including children, murdered. They want their shiny toy. And they want to play with it.
An SOMB would help in a LOT of ways. But I was just saying that I wouldn’t get overly excited about it helping the politicians suddenly get smart or moral. They will remain lying harassers. It will just be a little harder on them. Some will accept the “cover” that the SOMB will give (with their facts) and do the right thing. But just some.
You are also right about recidivism. But that is just one more thing that people with sense have to just keep repeating the facts and letting the criminal legislators and Registry Nazis (RNs) lie about it.
The only recidivism that makes any sense is if a person commits an actual $EX crime after he/she has already been punished for one. That is the only thing that makes sense. It doesn’t matter if the person is arrested or convicted or not (although I have no idea how to count crimes that are unknown).
RNs do love to try to spread the lie that Registered People (RP) are committing $EX crimes but they are just not being reported (because we know that $EX crimes are underreported anyway). But that doesn’t play very well with their glorious Registries. First off, if the perpetrators are RPs, how are the Registries allowing them to commit crimes at all? Are the Registries not “working”? Secondly, if they are committing a crime, are the RNs telling us that people know that the perpetrator is an RP but they are choosing to not report it? The vast majority of $EX offenses, especially against children, are committed by people who are known to the victim. So those people know an RP assaulted them and they are just choosing not to report it? Sure.
Anyway, as I said, I’m not waiting on any SOMB, moral legislator, decent Americans, or whatever. They had their chances to be moral. Failed at almost every step. Today and every day, I’m going to ensure the Registries are as worthless and damaging as possible.
i part was left out
Ron Book “it’s not a matter of if, but when” drunks get caught dring, injure and killing people, i lead by example!
Yep. But his name is Drunken Ron Book/Crook. We ought to use his official title.
He’s lucky he hasn’t driven drunk and murdered anyone yet.