House Bill 0037c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999               CS/HB 37

        By the Committee on Law Enforcement & Crime Prevention and
    Representative Ball





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to guidelines for fair

  3         treatment of victims and witnesses in the

  4         justice system; amending s. 960.001, F.S.;

  5         allowing specified state agencies to

  6         participate in crime prevention, public

  7         awareness, and educational activities;

  8         providing for use of funds appropriated for

  9         such activities; providing an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Paragraph (r) is added to subsection (1) of

14  section 960.001, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, to read:

15         960.001  Guidelines for fair treatment of victims and

16  witnesses in the criminal justice and juvenile justice

17  systems.--

18         (1)  The Department of Legal Affairs, the state

19  attorneys, the Department of Corrections, the Department of

20  Juvenile Justice, the Parole Commission, the State Courts

21  Administrator and circuit court administrators, the Department

22  of Law Enforcement, and every sheriff's department, police

23  department, or other law enforcement agency as defined in s.

24  943.10(4) shall develop and implement guidelines for the use

25  of their respective agencies, which guidelines are consistent

26  with the purposes of this act and s. 16(b), Art. I of the

27  State Constitution and are designed to implement the

28  provisions of s. 16(b), Art. I of the State Constitution and

29  to achieve the following objectives:

30         (r)  Implementing crime prevention efforts to enhance

31  the protection of individual personal safety and property as

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999               CS/HB 37

    604-137-99






  1  prescribed by s. 187.201(7)(b)9., State Comprehensive

  2  Plan.--By preventing future crimes that either produce new

  3  victims or further harm former victims, crime prevention

  4  efforts are an essential part of providing victims and

  5  witnesses with effective service; therefore, the agencies

  6  identified in this subsection may participate in and expend

  7  funds for crime prevention, public awareness, public

  8  participation, and educational activities.

  9         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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12                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Revises the guidelines for fair treatment of victims and
14    witnesses in the justice system to allow specified state
      agencies to participate in crime prevention, public
15    awareness, and educational activities. Provides for use
      of funds appropriated for such activities.
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