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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My blood is boiling.
Through FAC resources, I have learned that mailing letters to your legislators is more effective than emails, and that one letter to a legislator says that there are 100 additional people who agree with your letter.
After life with emails, letter writing can be a challenge — then there is the envelope and stamp.
I am starting on my letters to Dupose and my own local representatives but will not have them completed and mailed until Monday.
If letter writing is just not going to work for you, I hope that many of us at least email Dupose and your representatives. I have also read that letters and emails to representatives from outside your area are pretty much ignored, so it has to be to your local representatives. Dupose is the author of the bill, so he should be interested in what we have to say.
Registrants cannot vote (more of the stupidity in Florida), but we have some sort of influence over everyone we know. Even at the Clay County Commissioners’ meeting last month, one of the commissioners clearly was influenced by his neighbor who is a registrant. This was the same commissioner who kept questioning if there was any research showing that residency restrictions worked.
Could the legal minds weigh in on with all the singling out of rsos wouldn’t that put them in a class such as sex religion etc to sue as class action?
No. Registrants are not a protected class.
Children are victims of all kinds of crimes, not just sexual ones. This makes zero sense to me. Looking online or any of the other myriad non contact crimes that can land someone on the registry is far preferable in my opinion than someone who has actually tried to kill a child in a home invasion, robbery, domestic dispute, drunk driving incident, etc. This is what is so wrong with the registry. All crimes, violent and non violent, are lumped into one when it comes to this type of legislation. They should be able to carve out violent sexual predators as well.
It’s just a little discrimination, that’s all. When did discrimination ever hurt anyone?
Sent him the following email.
Dear sir,
Although your prison reform bill is a beginning it does not go far enough because it does not include sex offenses. The statistics actually show that most never reoffend and that the rate of those who do is no higher than any other crime.
I suggest that you perform due diligence and contact the Florida Action Committee and obtain the mass of research that will better inform your legislation and then amend the bill accordingly.
Thank you for your time and have a Merry Christmas.
Very sincerely,
I wanted to update with the actual language of the bill:
The carve outs include an offense which “which results in the actual killing of a human being… or any felony offense that serves as a predicate to registration as a sexual offender.”
In other words, attempted murder is OK – but look at an illegal image on the internet and you can die in jail for all they care.
I’m curious to know something – Do those with sex offenses or their families feel too scared to write to these state reps for fear the state rep will “look into” who you are and cause you more grief? I ask because this seems to be a great opportunity to let voices be heard but how many will actually take the step?
One of the lessons I learned from SarahF and Mary Ann in Clay County:
If you go to the trouble of discussing with your representative(s), how proposed registry-related laws will affect your family member, and do so sincerely and respectfully, they do listen and often soften their stance.
Exactly, it’s ok for a heroin dealer to hook you child on drugs and possibly pimp them out until they possibly die. It’s ok for someone to beat the crap out of your child till near death, or rob them with violence, bully them, poison them, but God forbid you’re a sex offender (eye roll).
My suspicion on why they are allowing some prison reforms is so that they can free up prison space for more sex offenders. Since building more prisons is politically undesirable, this would be their next best option. I wouldn’t be fooled for a moment that we should expect any support for compassion from most of those in power. They, along with their constituents, have bought the lies and myths for so long, they probably no longer have ears to hear. They’re collectively like the emperor who has been duped into believing he’s wearing an invisible robe, when in reality he’s just plain naked. When confronted with the truth, they’d rather just keep up the pretense. I guess they think it’s better to double-down on the lie than admit to being made a fool.
I read an article about something like this a while back. This isn’t “compassion”. This is the state not wanting to foot the bill for medical treatment for the elderly or sick.
They also severely neglect prisoners with medical conditions to the point where they get extremely ill (think diabetics).