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r BOOK 88 FA­Gc 93 <br />PROPOSED LEGISLATION IMPOSING STATE PRISONER COSTS ON COUNTIES <br />The Board reviewed the following memo dated 2/22/93: <br />B ruse S. Calton <br />SGtte Attorney <br />TO: <br />SUBJECT: <br />DATE: <br />0MI CE OF17HU <br />.6tate Atturnq <br />NINETSEN7H JUDICIAL CIRCUrr OF PLORIDA <br />SERVING <br />INDIAN RIVER. MARTIN, OKEECHOBEE <br />AND ST. LUCIE COUNTii*S <br />411 Suuth Sawed Sweet <br />Fort Pierce, Florida 34950 <br />(4CM 465.3000 <br />Fax (407) 464-3666 <br />All County Commissioners <br />Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and fit. Lucie <br />CuunLies <br />LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS IMroaIN0 ST11TE PRISONER <br />COSTS ON COUNTIES <br />February 22, 1993 <br />There appears to be confusion among some State Legislators as <br />to whether county Commissioneru are gas{s du aing House 8111 79 and <br />Senate Bill 208, the so-called, "Safe Streets Initiative of 1993". <br />The legislation, drastically changes sentencing procedures for <br />people convicted of felonies. <br />If the LegialbTure p8eses HB 79 and SH 208, county jail pupuia- <br />tion$ of people serving sentences will increase statewide by 18,000 <br />in one year. This is not wild speculation; these are figure* that <br />the Legislature's statisticians say will be criminals who could not <br />be sentenced to prison under the new guidelines who were sentenced <br />to prison the year before. Judges will sentence criminals to county <br />jail that they formerly nentencea to prison. <br />The reason why we say this will happen is that the Governor's <br />proposal to -fund a bond issue for prison building by.a 25 oent <br />cigarette tax may not pass, but He 19 nee already pass** the mouse <br />Criminal Justices Committees. Even if there is a prison bond issue, <br />new cells cannot be built fast enough to avoid Hooding the county <br />Jails for a couplet of years, Equally significant is that the <br />Governor's proposal will switch liability for legal and medical <br />costs arising out of prisoner acts and conditions to the counties. <br />The States would only fund the construction and normal operation <br />costa, not the legal and medical costs. <br />While State Attorneys support building no-frills prisons, we <br />unanimously voted to oppose HB 79 and SB 208 in part because they <br />abolish career criminal laws and minimum mandatory sentence's. <br />