End to waiting periods among sweeping changes proposed for Florida’s clemency process
Dara Kam, Senior reporter, News Service of Florida
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Supporters of restoring Florida felons voting rights march to an early voting precinct, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition led marches to the polls in dozens of Florida counties. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing sweeping changes to the state’s clemency process by doing away with a minimum five-year wait before felons can seek to have their civil rights, including the right to vote, restored.
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Fines and Fees Justice Center
The Florida Legislature has added more than 20 new categories of what are called legal financial obligations (LFOs) to the criminal justice process since 1996, according to a 2010 report from the Brennan Center for Justice. They did so, the report says, without examining whether added debt “promotes recidivism or otherwise hinders reentry into society for those convicted of crimes.”
When individuals fail to make payments, they may get be sanctioned, including having their driver’s licenses suspended. According to a report from the Fines & Fees Justice Center, in 2017 more than a million suspension notices were sent to Florida drivers because of overdue court debt. The report also found that 72 percent of driver’s license suspensions in Florida are for unpaid fines and fees, not for unsafe driving.