This year saw a sweeping movement in the Florida Legislature of proposed bills that would have had a large impact on the criminal justice system in Florida. While many of these bills did not become law in Florida, there were several that did, and that went into effect a few months ago- July 1, 2022. This article focuses on 2 of the new Florida criminal laws:
- Juvenile Expungement: Beginning this year, juveniles that receive the benefit of and complete successfully a diversion program offered by the State in their case, for a misdemeanor, and now also for a non-forcible felony, can seek to have the complete record of the case expunged (which basically means all information of the case is wiped away from the public record). Up until this year, expungements in juvenile cases were only available to seek in misdemeanor cases upon completing a diversion. Now, with the expansion of the law to non-forcible/non-violent felony cases, this new law will be a tremendous benefit for children across the state of Florida (current statistics show that approximately 26,000 juveniles will currently benefit by the new law).
At Rice Law Firm, we handle expungement cases for both juveniles and adults, and have done so for many years. There are both administrative and judicial requirements under Florida law to seek and obtain an expungement in Florida, which we are trained in and have the experience to handle. If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance for an expungement matter, give the experienced and Board Certified Daytona Beach criminal attorney at Rice Law Firm a call.
- Reduction of Probation Sentence: Floridians that are on probation can now receive new education and workforce credits that will help shorten their probation term or length, and also help the probationer gain a GED, a vocational certification, or other degree, while also maintaining full-time employment. Under the new law, a person on probation can earn at least 30 days off their probation sentence length for every 6-month period in which they work for at least 30 hours, per week. Also, for each completed educational activity, the law gives the ability to earn up to 60 days off their probation.
If you have been arrested, accused, or charged with any type of crime, and you would like to discuss your case and discuss possible legal representation, please give our office a call to speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney. The initial consultation is always free, and you will always speak with an attorney at Rice Law Firm.
