Mission

To educate and inform Floridians on best policies and practices which increase public safety, save taxpayer dollars, and increase the likelihood that justice-involved youth and adults will become contributing members of society.
News reports covering current hot topics in justice reform

COVID-19 & Justice Issues
June 30, 2020

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Infectious disease funding for prisons vetoed as COVID-19 cases in Florida soar - Florida Politics, 6/29/2020

Sheriff: Doctor who exposed inmates, staff to COVID-19 failed to follow proper protocol [FL] - WJXT-TV, 6/29/2020

Prison visitation ban extended to mid-July [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WJXT-TV, 6/29/2020

Pandemic unleashes a spike in overdose deaths [US] - Politico, 6/29/2020

37 more Duval County inmates test positive for COVID-19 [FL] - WJXT-TV, 6/28/2020

Federal judge rules US must free migrant children from family detention, citing recent spread of coronavirus in facilities - The Associated Press / Hartford Courant, 6/26/2020

U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe is self-isolating after contracting COVID-19 [FL] - Florida Phoenix / Patch, 6/24/2020

Two Leon County Sheriff's Office deputies test positive for coronavirus [FL] - WTXL-TV, 6/24/2020

US inmates got virus relief checks, and IRS wants them back - The Associated Press, 6/24/2020

Judge: Florida school shooting trial off indefinitely - The Associated Press, 6/22/2020

Behavioral health advocates hope to outlast budget slashes [FL] - Florida Politics, 6/21/2020

Order opens door for future jury trials [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WJXT-TV, 6/17/2020

Casey DeSantis showcases mental health services during COVID pandemic [FL] - Florida Politics, 6/17/2020

Reform Alliance calls for conditional arrest suspensions amid COVID-19 pandemic [FL] - Florida Politics, 6/15/2020

Dems ask Bureau of Prisons for coronavirus update on staffers who manned protests [US] - Politico, 6/15/2020

Four north Florida law enforcement agencies awarded $975,000 to address COVID-19 - Florida Politics, 6/14/2020

Inmates released to home confinement say too many remain in infected federal prisons [FL] - Florida Phoenix, 6/12/2020

Two Keys jail deputies and one clerk of the court staffer test positive for COVID-19 [FL] - FL Keys News, 6/11/2020

Effects of social isolation as a result of the pandemic [US] - Forbes, 6/11/2020

Another Florida inmate dies from COVID-19 complications - The News Service of Florida / WJXT-TV, 6/10/2020

Detained migrants say they were forced to clean COVID-infected ICE facility [AZ] - NBC News, 6/10/2020

Visitors barred from prisons through June 28 [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Florida Politics, 6/9/2020

Suspension of jury trials extended amid COVID-19: The suspension now goes through July 17 [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Florida Politics, 6/9/2020

‘Mommy, I’m in so much pain’: Florida prisoners write home about COVID-19 ordeals - Impact 2020, McClatchy, 6/8/2020

Backup on the way [FL] - Takeaways from Tallahassee, Florida Politics, 6/6/2020

ACLU demands ‘transparency’ from FL governor and head of state prisons, where inmate deaths are rising [FL] - Florida Phoenix, 6/4/2020

State identifies facilities where 3 prisoners who died from COVID-19 complications were located [FL] - The News Service of Florida / WJXT-TV, 6/3/2020

Florida juvenile justice system sees more COVID-19 cases - The News Service of Florida / WJXT-TV, 6/3/2020

Plan for remote civil jury trials moves forward [FL] - The News Service of Florida / Florida Politics, 6/3/2020

As ICE detainee testifies in federal court about COVID-19, unmasked guard is next to him [FL] - Miami Herald, 6/3/2020

Prison officials delay releasing federal inmates into home confinement, ‘thumbing their nose’ at judges and Congress [US] - [Part 1/2] - Florida Phoenix, 6/1/2020; A cloistered culture in the nation’s federal prisons leads to infections and deaths [US] - [Part 2/2] Florida Phoenix, 6/3/2020

Another Corrections Department worker in Tallahassee tests positive for coronavirus [FL] - Tallahassee Democrat, 6/1/2020

Three more inmates die of COVID-19 [FL] - WFOR-TV, 6/1/2020
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Legislation Tracking - 2020 Session

Florida Capitol and House buildings

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Below are the key bills pertaining to justice reform issues that were filed during Florida's 2020 Legislative Session, and were tracked by FCAJ. Each listing is a link connecting to the bill's corresponding webpage hosted by the Florida House or Senate. Follow each link for a bill description and status information. 





Bills signed into law by Gov. DeSantis

​SB 28 - Relief of Clifford Williams by the State of Florida - Tabled companion bill HB 6507

CS/HB 43 - Child Welfare

CS/HB 199 - Sexual Battery Prosecution Time Limitation

CS/CS/HB 573 - First Responders and Correctional Officers

CS/CS/CS/HB 713 -  Health Regulation - Tabled companion bill CS/CS/CS/SB 230

HB 743 - Nonopioid Alternatives - Tabled companion bill SB 1080

CS/CS/SB 1118 - Inmate Welfare Trust Funds

HB 1259 - Restrictive Housing for Incarcerated Pregnant Women - Tabled companion bill CS/SB 852

CS/CS/SB 1286 - Contraband in Specified Facilities

CS/CS/SB 1392 - Courts



Bill vetoed by Gov. DeSantis

SB 1292 - Public Records/Nonjudicial Arrest Record of a Minor - Tabled companion bill HB 615


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Failed bills

SB 18 - Relief of Barney Brown by the State of Florida

SB 98 - Medical Marijuana Identification Cards for Service-disabled Veterans

SB 104 - Services for Veterans and Their Families

SB 120 - Naloxone in Schools

HB 149 - Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers

HB 189 - Gain-time

SB 212 - Medical Marijuana Retail Facilities

CS/HB 259 - Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration

HB 315 - Enforcement of School Attendance [mental health days]

HB 339 - Drug Trafficking Offenses​

​CS/SB 346 - Criminal Justice

SB 394 - Gain-time

HB 415 - Workers' Compensation Benefits For Correctional Officers

CS/HB 421 - Detention of Children

SB 468 - Mandatory Sentences

HB 531 - Treatment of Inmates

SB 550 - Sentencing

SB 552 - Sentencing

SB 554 - Sentencing

CS/SB 556 - Inmate Conditional Medical Release

CS/SB 572: Release from Imprisonment

CS/SB 574 - Conditional Aging Inmate Release

SB 578 - Juvenile Justice

SB 588 - Enforcement of School Attendance

HB 595 - Medical Marijuana Employee Protection

SB 616 - Background Screening [banning the box]

HB 645 - Qualifying Medical Conditions for Medical Use of Marijuana

HB 687 - Services for Veterans and Their Families

CS/CS/SB 700 - Juvenile Justice

SB 720 - Medical Use of Marijuana in Schools

SB 750 - Victims of Reform School Abuse

SB 762 - Inmate Confinement

SB 816 - Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Correctional Officers

HB 837 - Inmate Conditional Release

CS/CS/SB 872 - Public Records/Florida Commission on Offender Review

SB 902 - Sentencing

CS/CS/HB 903 - Fines and Fees

SB 938 - Death Penalty

HB 949 - Juvenile Justice

SB 962 - Medical Marijuana Employee Protection

SB 1062 - Involuntary Examinations of Minors

HB 1083 - Involuntary Examinations of Minors

HB 1125 - Jury Duty

HB 1131 - Sentence Review Hearings

SB 1144 - Department of Juvenile Justice

SB 1274 - Qualifying Medical Conditions for Medical Use of Marijuana

SB 1308 - Criminal Justice

CS/SB 1328 - Fines and Fees

SB 1342 - Court-ordered Expunction and Sealing of Certain Records

SB 1354 - Statewide Voter Registration Application

SB 1396 - Driving Under the Influence

CS/SB 1590 - Juror Sanctions

SB 1716 - Sentencing

SB 1860 - Availability of Marijuana for Adult Use

HB 2653 - Personal Enrichment through Mental Health Services - Crisis Stabilization Units

HB 4195 - 211 Palm Beach Treasure Coast - South Florida Suicide Prevention and Crisis Intervention Outreach Project

HB 4861 - Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital - Pediatric Alternative to Opioid Treatment​

HB 6045 - Death Penalty

SB 7040 - Implementation of the Recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission

CS/HB 7065 - School Safety

CS/HB 7077 - Postsentencing Forensic Analysis

HB 9093 - University of Central Florida - UCF Restores PTSD Clinic

​HB 9095 - Heart of Florida United Way Orlando United Assistance Center (Heart of FL Pulse)

Legislation Archive

Legislation Recap - 2019 Session
Legislation Recap - 2018 Session
Legislation Recap - 2017 Session
Legislation Recap - 2016 Session
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FCAJ News

Research Central: Just the Facts
There is a good reason why the justice reform movement is largely a bipartisan effort: it is ideally based on sound facts and trustworthy information. But in this era of fake news and alternative facts, where can you get information that you can count on?  Read More
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FCAJ Launches 'Money in the Pot' Research Series
Florida is entering a new era with its implementation of medical marijuana. How will the state generate revenue from this new market? What are the policies in other states? To help answer these and other questions, the FCAJ has launched a comprehensive...  Read More

Support the Transformation: Donate
You can add your voice to the center's in seeking meaningful justice reform in a variety of ways, including joining the FCAJ website, providing your comments, and by making a financial contribution. FCAJ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your...  Read More

FCAJ Twitter Feed

Did You Know...

The U.S. houses 25% of the world's prisoners while only having 5% of the world's population.

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