criminal justice

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.

Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump is joining the office of Attorney Lee Merrit to represent the family of Jamee Johnson. Johnson was a former student at Florida A&M University who was killed Sunday in Jacksonville during a traffic stop.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Florida’s legislature are taking aim at mandatory minimum sentencing for non-violent offenders. Bills dealing with the rigid sentencing guidelines are advancing, and still being filed ahead of the 2020 session.

Gun safety advocates say more needs to be done to prevent mass shootings. But some say those proposals could be hard to enforce.  

A recent rash of gun violence in Tallahassee hasn’t been lost on Governor Ron DeSantis. The governor was asked after Tuesday’s cabinet meeting about crime in the City.

Last year, an investigative series by the Miami Herald brought wealthy financier and convicted pedophile Jeffery Epstein back into the spotlight. Reporting revealed he was given special treatment during his conviction.

That story triggered new interest in the case, and Epstein was jailed earlier this year in New York on federal child sex trafficking charges. In August, he was found dead in his cell, his death has been ruled a suicide. But one pathologist who attended an autopsy on Epstein is challenging that ruling.

Tallahassee residents packed the Lincoln Center on Brevard Street Monday evening to meet and talk with the city’s top three finalists for chief of police.

Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor is asking the city to disqualify a candidate for Police Chief. Earlier this week, the city announced three finalists for the job.