criminal justice

Gun sales across the country are surging and in Florida, there have been several record-setting days in the past few weeks. Tallahassee-based Red Hills Arms is struggling to keep up with demand and its owners say as is the case with other gun stores, it's seeing a boom in first-time buyers.

A man wrongfully imprisoned for almost 43 years could soon get more than $2 million from the state. The proposal cleared the Florida House on Tuesday and is on its way to the governor's desk.

The Florida House has approved a measure that includes a plan to curb the arrest of children under 10. It came after last-minute negotiations and personal pleas from six-year-old Kaia Rolle and her grandmother.

A new process that connects to a national DNA database now awaits all felony suspects booked into the Leon County Detention Facility. The goal is to connect more suspects with unsolved crimes.

With time winding down bills that haven’t gotten a first hearing are starting to near their death. One measure running out of time would allow non-violent prisoners to be released sooner. It would increase the amount of time off for good behavior. Gain time bill sponsors are trying to rally support.

Florida lawmakers say it should be a crime for fertility doctors to inseminate patients with their own sperm without consent. Several cases have popped up recently as the popularity of at-home genetic testing has grown--revealing the actions of unscrupulous doctors. But most states have no laws against the act.

As Republican and Democratic Florida lawmakers push criminal justice reform bills through both chambers, law enforcement groups published a report they say legislators should contemplate. The Florida Sheriffs and Police Chiefs associations are trying to prove low-level drug offenders are violent, and took that argument to the Capitol Tuesday.

More than 97% of criminal cases in the U.S. are resolved through plea deals. But sometimes those offers are better for defendants who have more money. Lawmakers say that’s not fair and are trying to fix it.

Twenty-two-year-old Jamee Johnson had plans to graduate this Spring from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University alongside his sister. But in December he was killed by police officers during a traffic stop in Jacksonville. His family is demanding more answers and some lawmakers joined that call at the Capitol Thursday.

State estimates show Florida could save hundreds of thousands of dollars if it were to allow certain inmates to be released from prison early.

Dignity Florida is backing bills aimed to change how pregnant incarcerated women are treated. The push comes after a woman gave birth alone in a jail cell. 

A bill that would remove time limits for prosecuting sexual battery on minors cleared its first hurdle in the House Wednesday. Lawmakers heard powerful testimony from a survivor of sexual assault, who now advocates for victims.

A Republican lawmaker wants to change Florida’s medical marijuana system as well as legalize the drug for adults. 

Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) hasn’t been shy in the past when it comes to criticizing the current system and now wants to dismantle it.

It’s been about five months since the Tallahassee police Department joined the A&E series “Live PD.” The show features local officers doing police work and makings arrests. TPD’s Damon Miller talked with WFSU about how what’s on the show might differ from reality.

The controversy over the naming of Lawrence Revell as Tallahassee's new chief of police continued earlier during the final week of 2019. Meanwhile the new chief was moving quickly to name a second-in-command.