MITCH NEEDELMAN

State Representative, District #31

 Chair: Environmental Regulations l  Vice Chair: Juvenile Justice Committee
lState Resources Council l Justice Appropriations
lSelect Committee on Juvenile Detention Facilities

     

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Bill Johnson
April 6, 2006	(321) 984-4848

TALLAHASSEE – Representative Mitch Needelman (R-Melbourne) today successfully defended against an effort by House Democrats to appropriate funds restoring the Florida Parole Commission. The House budget, HB 5001, eliminates funding for the agency.

"Parole was eliminated in Florida in 1983, yet the Parole Commission, whose commissioners receive a $90,000 annual salary, continues to expand," said Representative Needelman in arguing against a budget amendment offered by Representative Curtis Richardson (D-Tallahassee). "This is a dying agency in search of a mission, serving no purpose other than the continuation of unjustifiable bureaucracy."

Parole was abolished for most crimes in 1983. Parole for capital felonies was abolished in 1995. Only inmates in the corrections system for crimes committed before these two dates are still eligible for parole. Today, only about 5,000 inmates in the system are even parole eligible, a fraction of the 87,000 overall inmates.

Among details underscored by Representative Needelman and other House leaders during the debate:

• Parole cases would be processed by regional Boards appointed by the Governor. They would be administratively housed within the Office of the Attorney General who would be provided sufficient staff and resources as necessary.
• Clemency duties would transfer to the Executive Office of the Governor along with staff and other resources to support this function.
• Revocation Hearings would be held by the Courts.
• Terms and Conditions of Conditional Release would be set by the original sentencing court during sentencing.
• Victim notification would be done by the Department of Corrections or the Office of the Attorney General.

"This will save the tax payers of the State of Florida millions of dollars in the long-term," said Representative Needelman. "Good stewardship of public funds requires that we eliminate duplication of services, address current inefficiencies in the system, and focus on a modern mission for parole and clemency services."

While the House eliminates funding, a measure approved by the Senate today includes funding for the Commission. Differences between House and Senate budget positions will be considered during the budget conference.

"We look forward to making the case to our colleagues in the Senate, and moving forward with elimination of this agency, and developing a more efficient approach that carries out justice, and serves Floridians in a timely manner," said Representative Needelman.

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