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Florida Department of Corrections

Presentations to the

Senate Criminal Justice Committee

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

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OFFICE OF

COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS

Zero Tolerance Update

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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

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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 email

documents • 19 out of 20 circuits have court officers

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New Arrests & Technicals Against Population

-1,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,0009,000

10,000

Viol

atio

ns

120,000

125,000

130,000

135,000

140,000

145,000

150,000

155,000

160,000

Popu

latio

n

Violations - New Arrest Violations - Technical Active and Active Suspense Population

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REPORTING VIOLATIONS

Violations per 1,000 Offenders

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

March 2004 March 2006

20% Decline

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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

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Homeless Sex Offenders

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS

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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

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HOMELESS SEX OFFENDERS

• Their poor living situation limits the sex offender’s 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.

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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

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Absconder Apprehension

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS

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Absconder Unit

• Secretary McDonough launched new initiative in March 2006.

• 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)

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Apprehending Sex Offenders

• March 2006: 1,019 sex offender absconders

December 2007: 577 sex offender absconders

43% reduction in sex offender absconders

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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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Absconder Gains by Month

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Absconder Gain Date

Num

ber o

f Abs

cond

er G

ains

Absconders To Prison

Monthly Gains from AbscondingStatus