The Florida Senate

948.01  When court may place defendant on probation or into community control.--

(1)  Any court of the state having original jurisdiction of criminal actions may at a time to be determined by the court, either with or without an adjudication of the guilt of the defendant, hear and determine the question of the probation of a defendant in a criminal case, except for an offense punishable by death, who has been found guilty by the verdict of a jury, has entered a plea of guilty or a plea of nolo contendere, or has been found guilty by the court trying the case without a jury. If the court places the defendant on probation or into community control for a felony, the department shall provide immediate supervision by an officer employed in compliance with the minimum qualifications for officers as provided in s. 943.13. In no circumstances shall a private entity provide probationary or supervision services to felony or misdemeanor offenders sentenced or placed on probation or other supervision by the circuit court.

(2)  If it appears to the court upon a hearing of the matter that the defendant is not likely again to engage in a criminal course of conduct and that the ends of justice and the welfare of society do not require that the defendant presently suffer the penalty imposed by law, the court, in its discretion, may either adjudge the defendant to be guilty or stay and withhold the adjudication of guilt; and, in either case, it shall stay and withhold the imposition of sentence upon such defendant and shall place the defendant upon probation. However, no defendant placed on probation for a misdemeanor may be placed under the supervision of the department unless the circuit court was the court of original jurisdiction.

(3)  If, after considering the provisions of subsection (2) and the offender's prior record or the seriousness of the offense, it appears to the court in the case of a felony disposition that probation is an unsuitable dispositional alternative to imprisonment, the court may place the offender in a community control program as provided in s. 948.10. Or, in a case of prior disposition of a felony commitment, upon motion of the offender or the department or upon its own motion, the court may, within the period of its retained jurisdiction following commitment, suspend the further execution of the disposition and place the offender in a community control program upon such terms as the court may require. The court may consult with a local offender advisory council pursuant to s. 948.90 with respect to the placement of an offender into community control. Not later than 3 working days before the hearing on the motion, the department shall forward to the court all relevant material on the offender's progress while in custody. If this sentencing alternative to incarceration is utilized, the court shall:

(a)  Determine what community-based sanctions will be imposed in the community control plan. Community-based sanctions may include, but are not limited to, rehabilitative restitution in money or in kind, curfew, revocation or suspension of the driver's license, community service, deprivation of nonessential activities or privileges, or other appropriate restraints on the offender's liberty.

(b)  After appropriate sanctions for the offense are determined, develop, approve, and order a plan of community control which contains rules, requirements, conditions, and programs that are designed to encourage noncriminal functional behavior and promote the rehabilitation of the offender and the protection of the community. If the offense was a controlled substance violation, the conditions shall include a requirement that the offender submit to random substance abuse testing intermittently throughout the term of supervision, upon the direction of the correctional probation officer as defined in s. 943.10(3).

(c)  Require the department to provide notifications pursuant to s. 948.10(6).

(4)  The sanctions imposed by order of the court shall be commensurate with the seriousness of the offense. When community control or a program of public service is ordered by the court, the duration of community control supervision or public service may not be longer than the sentence that could have been imposed if the offender had been committed for the offense or a period not to exceed 2 years, whichever is less. When restitution or public service is ordered by the court, the amount of restitution or public service may not be greater than an amount which the offender could reasonably be expected to pay or perform.

(5)  Upon completion of the sanctions imposed in the community control plan before the expiration of the term ordered by the court, the department may petition the court to discharge the offender from community control supervision or to return the offender to a program of regular probation supervision. In considering the petition, the court should recognize the limited staff resources committed to the community control program, the purpose of the program, and the offender's successful compliance with the conditions set forth in the order of the court.

(6)  Whenever punishment by imprisonment for a misdemeanor or a felony, except for a capital felony, is prescribed, the court, in its discretion, may, at the time of sentencing, impose a split sentence whereby the defendant is to be placed on probation or, with respect to any such felony, into community control upon completion of any specified period of such sentence which may include a term of years or less. In such case, the court shall stay and withhold the imposition of the remainder of sentence imposed upon the defendant and direct that the defendant be placed upon probation or into community control after serving such period as may be imposed by the court. The period of probation or community control shall commence immediately upon the release of the defendant from incarceration, whether by parole or gain-time allowances.

(7)  In no case shall the imposition of sentence be suspended and the defendant thereupon placed on probation or into community control unless such defendant is placed under the custody of the department or another public or private entity.

(8)  When the court, under any of the foregoing subsections, places a defendant on probation or into community control, it may specify that the defendant serve all or part of the probationary or community control period in a community residential or nonresidential facility under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Children and Family Services or any public or private entity providing such services, and it shall require the payment prescribed in s. 948.09.

(9)  Procedures governing violations of community control shall be the same as those described in s. 948.06 with respect to probation.

(10)  An offender may not be placed in community control if:

(a)  Convicted of or adjudication withheld for a forcible felony as defined in s. 776.08, and

(b)  Previously convicted of or adjudication withheld for a forcible felony as defined in s. 776.08.

Nothing in this subsection prohibits placement of certain inmates on community control pursuant to s. 947.1747. For the purposes of this subsection, a forcible felony does not include manslaughter or burglary.

(11)  The court may also impose a split sentence whereby the defendant is sentenced to a term of probation which may be followed by a period of incarceration or, with respect to a felony, into community control, as follows:

(a)  If the offender meets the terms and conditions of probation or community control, any term of incarceration may be modified by court order to eliminate the term of incarceration.

(b)  If the offender does not meet the terms and conditions of probation or community control, the court may revoke, modify, or continue the probation or community control as provided in s. 948.06. If the probation or community control is revoked, the court may impose any sentence that it could have imposed at the time the offender was placed on probation or community control. The court may not provide credit for time served for any portion of a probation or community control term toward a subsequent term of probation or community control. However, the court may not impose a subsequent term of probation or community control which, when combined with any amount of time served on preceding terms of probation or community control for offenses pending before the court for sentencing, would exceed the maximum penalty allowable as provided in s. 775.082. Such term of incarceration shall be served under applicable law or county ordinance governing service of sentences in state or county jurisdiction. This paragraph does not prohibit any other sanction provided by law.

(12)  The court may also impose split probation whereby, upon satisfactory completion of half the term of probation, the Department of Corrections may place the offender on administrative probation as defined in s. 948.001 for the remainder of the term of supervision.

(13)  If it appears to the court upon a hearing that the defendant is a chronic substance abuser whose criminal conduct is a violation of chapter 893, the court may either adjudge the defendant guilty or stay and withhold the adjudication of guilt; and, in either case, it may stay and withhold the imposition of sentence and place the defendant on drug offender probation.

(a)  The Department of Corrections shall develop and administer a drug offender probation program which emphasizes a combination of treatment and intensive community supervision approaches and which includes provision for supervision of offenders in accordance with a specific treatment plan. The program may include the use of graduated sanctions consistent with the conditions imposed by the court. Drug offender probation status shall include surveillance and random drug testing, and may include those measures normally associated with community control, except that specific treatment conditions and other treatment approaches necessary to monitor this population may be ordered.

(b)  Offenders placed on drug offender probation are subject to revocation of probation as provided in s. 948.06.

(14)  The court may place a defendant who is being sentenced for criminal transmission of HIV in violation of s. 775.0877 on criminal quarantine community control. The Department of Corrections shall develop and administer a criminal quarantine community control program emphasizing intensive supervision with 24-hour-per-day electronic monitoring. Criminal quarantine community control status must include surveillance and may include other measures normally associated with community control, except that specific conditions necessary to monitor this population may be ordered.

(15)  Effective for an offense committed on or after July 1, 1998, a person is ineligible for placement on administrative probation if the person is sentenced to or is serving a term of probation or community control, regardless of the conviction or adjudication, for committing, or attempting, conspiring, or soliciting to commit, any of the felony offenses described in s. 787.01 or s. 787.02, where the victim is a minor and the defendant is not the victim's parent; s. 787.025; chapter 794; s. 796.03; s. 800.04; s. 825.1025(2)(b); s. 827.071; s. 847.0133; s. 847.0135; or s. 847.0145.

History.--s. 20, ch. 20519, 1941; s. 7, ch. 22858, 1945; s. 1, ch. 59-130; s. 1, ch. 61-498; s. 1, ch. 65-453; s. 1, ch. 67-204; ss. 12, 13, ch. 74-112; s. 3, ch. 75-301; s. 3, ch. 76-238; s. 90, ch. 77-120; s. 1, ch. 77-174; s. 109, ch. 79-3; s. 13, ch. 83-131; s. 14, ch. 85-288; s. 1, ch. 86-106; s. 4, ch. 87-211; s. 69, ch. 88-122; s. 36, ch. 89-526; ss. 7, 16, ch. 90-337; ss. 2, 14, ch. 91-225; ss. 1, 15, ch. 91-280; s. 14, ch. 93-227; s. 17, ch. 96-322; s. 21, ch. 97-78; s. 1876, ch. 97-102; s. 6, ch. 97-239; s. 13, ch. 98-81; s. 121, ch. 99-3; s. 323, ch. 99-8.