Originally Posted March 10, 2022
By: Trimmel Gomes
When it comes to second chances, a bill related
to expunging juvenile arrest
records is back before the governor for a second chance at
becoming law.
Last year Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis crushed the hopes of many juveniles hoping
for a shot to clean up and eliminate their arrest records after completing
diversion programs. Despite bipartisan support, DeSantis felt young offenders
should not be in those programs if they committed serious crimes.
Christian Minor, executive director of the Florida Juvenile Justice
Association, speaking on The
Rotunda podcast, shared how he spent the year working with
stakeholders to ease their concerns.
"Bounced a lot of the language off of the governor's staff, and working
with our law-enforcement partners, together to get this thing to the finish
line," Minor recounted. "I think our chances are fairly high that
Gov. DeSantis will go ahead and sign it."
Currently, most of the diversion programs, which help keeps troubled youths out
of prisons, involve misdemeanors, with certain felonies allowed. This year's
bill excludes "forcible felonies," such as murder or sexual battery.
Minor pointed out many juveniles who have turned their lives around and
complete diversion programs are often held back by dismissed felonies because
the arrest still shows on their records. Minor added it restricts juveniles
from getting scholarships and gainful employment through the military and even
law enforcement.
"When I look at this piece of legislation, I look at it as perhaps the
more monumental piece of workforce development that this legislature has passed
in the last decade," Minor remarked.
Groups supporting the governor's veto last year included the Florida Police
Chiefs Association. The executive director now said they were "pleased to
see that issue addressed in this year's bill."
According to the Florida
Department of Juvenile Justice, a total of 45,423 juveniles were
arrested in Florida in 2019 and 2020.
Most involved Black youths, with 50.9% compared with 32.4 % for white youths,
and 16.2 % of youth arrests were among Hispanics.
Content for this Post is provided by Florida News
Connection, a Bureau of Public News Service.
Public News Service is a member of the The Trust Project.
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