Florida TaxWatch Release- Criminal Justice Study

NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:	CONTACT:	Chris Barry
Wednesday, December 7, 2011		Communications Coordinator
		850.222.5052 x 117

Florida TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice Releases Review of Billion-Dollar Criminal Justice System

TALLAHASSEE — In FY2010-11, Florida taxpayers spent $2.4 billion to incarcerate over 102,000 people, according to the Florida TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice, which released the findings of a first time ever in-depth analysis matching Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) data with Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) data going back to 1995, to provide a deeper understanding of the system today.

This analysis shows some recent state successes in public safety—the state prison population has declined, and crime rates and recidivism have been declining as well— as recently reported by the FDOC.  However, there is always more work to be done in order to ensure the public’s safety.

“It has been evident in statewide conversations that Florida’s leadership is engaging in reform efforts and looking to continue to improve our criminal justice systems,” said Bob Stork, Chairman of the Florida TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice. “We are fortunate to have this critical attention, and all of our efforts are designed to provide constructive, data-driven and evidenced-based recommendations for our state’s consideration.”

A brief summary of the findings:

o   Florida’s inmate population has more than doubled since 1990 and nearly quadrupled since 1984.

o   In FY2010-11, 70% of admissions to prison were for non-violent offenses.

o   Over the past decade, more than 40,000 people were admitted to prison for technical violations of probation, costing the state over one billion dollars. 

o   In FY2010-11, Florida spent over $300 million to incarcerate people for drug offenses. 

o   The cost of mandatory minimum offenses was nearly $100 million.

o   Nearly half of prison admissions will serve terms of two years or fewer. 

o   From 2009-10, admissions of offenders under the age of 18 will cost the state more than $200 million. 

o   Nearly a third of released prisoners return to prison and almost two-thirds are re-arrested within three years.

It is the goal of the Florida TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice to arm Florida's leaders with empirical information, and help drive the state towards continued success in criminal justice to protect the public, lower crime rates, reduce re-offending and victimization, and conserve potentially tens of millions of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.

“Through data analysis, we are able to discover trends, uncover problems, chart meaningful successes, examine reasons for growth and declines of the volume and costs of incarceration, and make adjustments accordingly,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. “We should not rely on what we think we know to compel better public policy, we should use our data to inform decision-making and understand and communicate our unique Florida story.”

The findings of the report can be found here.

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