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criminal justice reform

Criminal justice reform remains a top priority for Jeff Brandes

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

Sen. Jeff Brandes said he plans to continue his push for criminal justice reform, advancing a multi-year process to take a closer look at the state’s criminal justice system. Brandes, who has made criminal justice reform a top priority, was in Washington, D.C. last week for the Right on Crime annual summit. The conservative-leaning organization has been working on criminal justice issues in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Brandes said the key takeaway from the summit was that “many states are…

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Task force would seek to remake Florida’s criminal justice system

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Florida’s state lawmakers increasingly are embracing criminal justice reform policies that break with the state’s “tough on crime” past. But a sea change could be in the works. But a sea change could be in the works. Last year, Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, and the GOP-controlled legislature approved one of the most far-reaching civil asset forfeiture reforms in the country, repealed a 10-20-life mandatory minimum sentencing law, and expanded health care delivery for mentally ill inmates. Mental health advocates say…

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Andrew Warren grateful Hillsborough voters shared his vision of criminal justice reform

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

It was a super-close ending, but Andrew Warren’s victory over incumbent Mark Ober for Hillsborough County state attorney represents the upset of the year in Hillsborough politics in 2016. The 40-year-old former federal prosecutor quit his job approximately a year ago with the Justice Department to commit himself to a dedicated effort to topple Ober, a Republican initially elected in 2000, and rarely, if ever, challenged by Democrats ever since. “We’re really excited by the outcome,” said Warren on Wednesday. “We were…

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Florida growing friendlier to criminal-justice reform, poll indicates

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

Floridians may be rethinking their throw-the-book-at-’em approach to crime, a poll released Monday suggests. The survey by The James Madison Institute and the Charles Koch Institute found that 72 percent of Floridians agreed or strongly agreed it is important to reform criminal justice. Seventy-five percent agreed or strongly agreed the prison population costs the country too much money. And almost two-thirds believed there were too many nonviolent offenders behind bars. “The poll solidified what we’ve come to know — Floridians…

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