Probation is intended to provide a more constructive alternative to incarceration by rehabilitating low-risk criminal offenders in their communities. But in Florida, minor technical violations of probation send many probationers to incarceration each year—even if they haven’t committed a new crime.
Punishing small matters, such as missing a meeting, with incarceration is out of proportion and helps neither the offender nor society because disproportionate sanctions for technical violations do not improve public safety and waste precious taxpayer dollars.
Fortunately, the Florida state legislature unanimously voted in favor of Senate Bill 1478 to help address this problem. The bill is awaiting Florida Gov.
