The average length of time a prisoner spends behind bars has increased in Florida more than in any other state. A Pew Center on the States study shows the number has jumped by 166-percent over about two decades. The Pew study says the increased stay length cost the state 1.4-billion dollars in 2009. And Research Director Ryan King said a lot of that was for non-violent offenders.
“There are more effective and less expensive ways to control crime and hold offenders accountable. The research shows that there’s little or no evidence that keeping them locked up, for these non-violent offenders is preventing crime or keeping them from re-offending once released from prison," King said.
This year, the Florida legislature passed a bill to reduce sentences for certain non-violent offenders who serve at least half their time and enroll in rehabilitation programs. But Governor Rick Scott vetoed the move, saying the current law is working and pointing to the state’s decreasing crime rate.
