A slew of measures passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with some now heading for floor votes. That includes the so-called "revenge porn" ban and a bill aiming to address the state's inmate escapes.
"Revenge Porn" Ban
Florida is one step closer to joining New Jersey and California on the list of states with their own so-called “revenge porn” bans on the books.
Altamonte Springs Republican Senator David Simmons says his bill deals with a crime directed mainly at women.
“Individuals having close intimate relationships permitting photographs or videos to be taken of one another and then their relationship falls apart, and then, one of them out of revenge, anger, and with the desire to harass, goes ahead and publishes those previously with consent pictures,” said Simmons.
Simmons’ bill makes the online posting of a sexually explicit image of someone without their consent a second degree misdemeanor. It becomes a first degree misdemeanor if an adult post such pictures of someone younger than 17. Simmons also changed the measure Tuesday at the request of the telecommunications industry…
“…to assure that as the providers of the telecommunication services—the wires, the mechanism by which somebody can actually publish these things that they not be drug into the conduct of the perpetrator,” added Simmons.
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s unanimous passage means the bill heads to the floor. Meanwhile, its House companion has not yet been heard.
Bill Addressing Inmates Escapes
A bill seeking to address last year’s inmate escapes from a Florida prison is also heading to the Senate floor. The measure’s author is Baker Republican Senator and Senate Criminal Justice Committee chair Greg Evers.
“Back during the Summer, we had some problems getting out on some fraudulent documents out of our Corrections system, and this bill would require the Department of Corrections would verify the authenticity of court records and change a person’s release date to an earlier date before releasing a person from prison unless it’s confirmed by a judge,” said Evers.
Last October, convicted killers Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker escaped from a Franklin County prison using forged documents. A probe later found several other inmates had also attempted to escape using documents with a judge’s signature that turned out to be fake.
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