Florida TaxWatch Releases Report on Prison Reform

Florida TaxWatch released a report on Thursday calling for reforms to the prison system in the Sunshine State.

"It is clear that tough-on-crime policies are not working for Florida, as our state's crime rate is still 15 percent higher than the national average, even while crime rates across the nation continue to fall," said Robert Weissert, Florida TaxWatchs senior VP of research, on Thursday.

Florida TaxWatch recommended keeping some nonviolent felons out of prisions through electric monitoring and other solutions.

"This year, the Florida Legislature and the Florida Department of Corrections are working together to incorporate some of our recommendations in a new corrections framework for Florida," Weissert noted. "The Legislature expects to pass a prison reform package, championed by Sen. Greg Evers and Rep. Carlos Trujillo, that will open the door to taxpayer savings by allowing infirmed prisoners to leave the costly corrections system, and will facilitate data collection to make informed decisions about the elderly prison population. Lawmakers are also considering a bill by Sen. Garcia and Rep. Clarke-Reed that will expand the use of juvenile civil citations, ensuring fewer young Floridians are exposed to the criminal justice system for nonviolent misdemeanor crimes. Others have proposed similar Florida TaxWatch recommendations, such as Rep. Katie Edwards, whose proposal to reduce the number of elderly, nonthreatening inmates in state prisons could save taxpayers up to $40 million. We look forward to working with these lawmakers who have committed themselves to improving the state's criminal justice system in the future."

The report can be read here.