HB6029 Focuses on Repealing Mandatory Minimums For Non-Violent Drug Offenders
Tallahassee, FL— HB6029 filed by Representative Anna V. Eskamani seeks to repeal mandatory minimum laws that impact non-violent drug offenders.
“Mandatory minimums don’t work to reduce crime rates and have instead created significant unintended consequences,” said Representative Anna V. Eskamani. “Today mandatory minimums are used in situations far different than those anticipated by the law’s authors, they have sent thousands of low-level drug offenders to prison, and have created a “trial penalty” system where mandatory sentences imposed after a trial are significantly longer than what defendants receive from plea bargains. We should let judges be judges, and repeal mandatory minimums– especially those for non-violent drug offenders.”
Representative Eskamani’s repealer bill also addresses mandatory minimums with so-called “Drug-Free Zones.” These laws were established decades ago and have not been reformed despite evidence that Drug-Free Zones are arbitrary, often unnecessarily broad, and ineffective at deterring drug-related crime. They also create significant unintended consequences, including unwarranted disparate impacts on communities of color and areas of concentrated disadvantage.
“We have solutions to reduce drug usage in the state of Florida, solutions that will save lives and reduce public cost,” Eskamani added. “This includes harm reduction tactics, drug courts, and rehabilitation programs. As a state we must shift our public safety systems towards evidence-based policies, not continue to operate in an archaic past.”
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