1 Florida Department of Corrections Presentations to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee Tuesday, December 11, 2007

2 OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS Zero Tolerance Update

3 ZERO TOLERANCE UPDATE The following actions have been instituted to ensure consistency in the reporting of willful violations: Published memo from Secretary McDonough on willful violations in March 2006 Revised Reporting Violation Procedure All probation officers and supervisors have received Reporting Violation training. The training covered willful violations and alternate methods of reporting violations

4 REPORTING VIOLATIONS As of November 2007: 49 counties (121 judges) authorize the department to report certain technical violations via Technical Violation Notification letters. 45 counties (112 judges) authorize use of Notice to Appear hearings in lieu of a warrant, which reduces the number of arrests required and the number of offenders in jail pending VOP 94 judges authorize the department to fax documents 74 judges authorize the department to documents 19 out of 20 circuits have court officers

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6 REPORTING VIOLATIONS March 2004March % Decline

7 REPORTING VIOLATIONS Probation officers continue to: Address violations quickly and consistently Report willful violations Prevent future crimes by immediately addressing non-compliance Allow courts to decide on additional sanctions Exercise good judgment in ensuring offenders comply with the terms of supervision

8 Homeless Sex Offenders OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS

9 HOMELESS SEX OFFENDERS Challenges locating appropriate lodging: –Lack of financial resources, family support, or transportation. –Residence restrictions imposed by state law and local ordinances (121 statewide). Homelessness is not a willful violation

10 HOMELESS SEX OFFENDERS Their poor living situation limits the sex offenders ability to get a job, secure a better residence, attend sex offender treatment, and acquire other basic needs (food, clothing, hygiene) to transition back into the community. Homeless sex offenders with Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) lack access to electricity. Offenders must search for ways to charge the tracking device in order to comply with Electronic Monitoring conditions.

11 MYTHS Residency restrictions are the sex offender panacea Sex offenders recidivate more than other criminals Groups of sex offenders living together are more dangerous to society All sex offenders are the same

12 Absconder Apprehension OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS

13 Absconder Unit Secretary McDonough launched new initiative in March Goal: To reduce the total number of absconders by 20% or more within 1 year. By March 2007 the Department successfully reduced the number of absconders by 25%. To date, the number of absconders has been reduced from 44,040 to 30,638 ( 30% reduction )

14 Apprehending Sex Offenders March 2006: 1,019 sex offender absconders December 2007: 577 sex offender absconders 43% reduction in sex offender absconders

15 In Pursuit of Absconders Actionable intelligence is vital to track and apprehend absconders. New partnerships were formed to share intelligence and coordinate enforcement operations. Intelligence sharing has led to effective partnerships Message to would be absconders: We will apprehend you.

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