HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-074RESOLUTION NO. 11-074
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF
ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA, URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
TO OPPOSE SENATE BILL 372 AND HOUSE BILL 1379
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida, has made the
following determinations:
1. St. Lucie County opposes legislation (SB 372 and HB 1379) that limits local pretrial agencies'
ability to effectively supervise pretrial defendants using locally accepted conditions of
release. By limiting pretrial services to only indigent defendants, this bill would result in
significant added expense to the County tax payers because more individuals wait in jail
specifically because they cannot afford bond.
2. Pretrial agencies save tax dollars by allowing defendants who cannot afford bond to remain
in the community and keep the community ties that encourage law abiding behavior.
Without pretrial supervision, tax payers will pay for many defendants to sit in jail -
regardless of the risk to public safety.
3. Pretrial agencies are the only release option where the defendant is supervised by an
officer of the court. Currently, there are 28county-funded pretrial programs that supervise
defendants through face to face visits, electronic monitoring, or telephone contacts.
OPPAGA found pretrial agencies follow national best practices.
4. Effective pretrial supervision programs are more effective at decreasing the likelihood of
reoffending and enhancing public safety. Pretrial agencies provide public safety protection
for those who may not be indigent but pose some potential risk to the community, provide
opportunityfor release of the indigent, and perform risk assessmentsto helpthe judiciary
determine who is an acceptable risk to release.
5. Pretrial agencies remain accountable to communities by producing outcome measures. The
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) suggest that
these reporting requirements should be reported monthly, not weekly, and that the data
collected needs to be streamlined. The success or failure of bonds cannot be determined
or even compared to pretrial supervision program, because bond agents do not report on
the defendant's failure to appear or rearrest rates.
6. St. Lucie County supports the ability of counties to provide non-monetary pretrial
supervision services that ensure the safety and welfare of local communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie
County, Florida:
Section 1: The foregoing recitals contained in the preamble to this Resolution are
incorporated by reference herein.
Section 2: This Board urges the Florida Legislature to oppose Senate Bill 372 and House
Bill 1379.
Section 3: The CountyAdministrator is herebydirected tosend a copyofthis resolution
to Governor Rick Scott, the County's Legislative Delegation and the Executive Director of the
Florida Association of Counties.
Section 4: This Resolution shall take effect upon its adoption.
PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 22"d day of March, 2011.
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