Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer Guy Seligman advises that a very relevant criminal law will go into effect. This law may effect prison sentencing and the approach to your criminal defense negotiating and plea bargain.
The Florida House passed a new  296-page criminal law reform raising Florida’s theft “threshold”. This changes the dollar  amount at which a misdemeanor theft becomes a felony  from $300 to $1,000..

New  Criminal / Juvenile  Laws

The new  bill allows Florida state attorneys to decide if a  juvenile case should be transferred to adult court. This is very important in pocking your juvenile defense lawyer. Now if the crime is severe or the child has certain prior convictions it moves to adult court immediately. With this new negotiation prospect  it is imperative you pick the right attorney to present on your child’s behalf to the state attorney.  It is also imperative you move very quickly in this choice as delays may mean they make the decision without someone there to intervene on your child’s behalf.

In a win for advocates for former felons’ rights, the bill would also make it easier for people with prior felony convictions to get occupational licenses for everything from barbering to auctioneering, helping people get jobs more easily after they are released from prison.

Drivers License Suspensions

The bill  repeals and reduces driver’s license suspensions as a penalty for non-driving related crimes, and would give crime victims a longer period of time to file for compensation after the original crime was committed.

Trafficking Laws

There are major things the Senate has sought that the House does not have: chiefly, a piece that would give judges discretion over the sentences they hand down for certain drug trafficking crimes — under current law for example, someone caught with at least 28 grams of cocaine would face a required sentence of at least three years imprisonment and a $50,000 fine. Those required sentences are often referred to as “mandatory minimums.”

Gain Time

The Senate bill would also allow prison inmates to earn “gain time,” through programs and good behavior, that would allow them to be released after a maximum of 65 percent of their sentence. Current law requires them to serve at least 85 percent. It’s estimated that that change alone could save the state $860 million and remove about 9,000 people from prison by 2024.

Speak to Guy Seligman for your Fort Lauderdale Criminal Defense