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Bills Aimed At Helping Florida's Juvenile Offenders Pass First Senate Panel

MGN Online

A pair of proposals meant to help juvenile offenders passed their first Senate panels.

Rep. Chris Latvala (R-Clearwater) presented for the Senate sponsor, Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice). He says the bill stems from a girl in his district who threw an egg at a friend, and later was arrested on a felony charge. Latvala says he’s made similar mistakes in his life, but didn’t have it negatively impact his personal or work life—as it did for other young offenders.

“Since the statute of limitations has long expired, growing up in Jacksonville in high school, we would roll friend’s houses with toilet paper,” said Latvala. “I don’t know if youngsters do that anymore, but back in the 1990s, that was our way of getting back at our friends.”

The bill—which passed the Senate Criminal Justice Committee Monday—aims to streamline the process of expunging the records of minors who are not serious or habitual offenders. It also lowers the age from 24 to 21 for a juvenile to set that process in motion.  Another measure that passed is aimed at allowing judges to have more of a say in charging juveniles as adults. That discretion currently lies with prosecutors.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.