Senate Bill sb0338
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2007 SB 338
By Senator Wilson
33-26-07
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to female inmates who are
3 parents of minor children; providing
4 legislative findings and intent with respect to
5 the importance of a female inmate maintaining a
6 relationship with her minor child; requiring
7 the Department of Corrections to collect
8 certain information concerning the children of
9 female inmates in the state correctional
10 system; requiring the department to analyze the
11 institutional assignment of each female inmate
12 who is a parent and determine the inmate's
13 proximity to her minor child; providing an
14 exception if the court has restricted a female
15 inmate's contact with her child; amending s.
16 944.17, F.S.; requiring the department to
17 consider a female inmate's proximity to her
18 minor child when transferring the inmate;
19 amending s. 944.24, F.S.; requiring that a
20 female inmate be assigned to a facility as near
21 as possible to her minor child; providing an
22 exception if the court has restricted the
23 inmate's contact with the child; amending s.
24 944.8031, F.S.; revising legislative findings
25 with respect to the benefit of fostering
26 relationships between a female inmate and her
27 minor children; providing an effective date.
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29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2007 SB 338
33-26-07
1 Section 1. Female inmates who are parents of minor
2 children; legislative findings and intent; institutional
3 assignments; data collection.--
4 (1) The Legislature finds that it is important that
5 each female inmate in the state correctional system maintain
6 contact with her minor children through visitation in order to
7 prepare the inmate to be reunited with her family upon
8 release. Although the Department of Corrections may limit the
9 activities of an inmate, the inmate may fulfill parental
10 responsibilities through visits and telephone and mail
11 communication with her family. The Legislature also finds that
12 the support provided by an inmate's family can be an important
13 resource in combating crime and reducing recidivism.
14 (2) It is the intent of the Legislature that each
15 female inmate be assigned, whenever possible, to a
16 correctional facility that is located in close proximity to
17 the residence of the inmate's children.
18 (3)(a) The Department of Corrections shall collect
19 information concerning the minor children of female inmates
20 committed to the state correctional system. At a minimum, the
21 information must include:
22 1. The number of minor children of each inmate.
23 2. The date of birth of each minor child.
24 3. The residential address for each minor child.
25 4. The custodial status of each minor child.
26 (b) The department shall annually analyze the
27 institutional assignments of female inmates to determine
28 whether each female inmate who is the parent of a minor child
29 is being housed in an institution that is located in close
30 proximity to the residence of the minor child. The analysis
31 must include mapping and distance calculations.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2007 SB 338
33-26-07
1 (4) The department need not reassign a female inmate
2 to an institution located in close proximity to the residence
3 of the inmate's minor child if the court has restricted the
4 inmate's contact with her minor child.
5 Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 944.17, Florida
6 Statutes, is amended to read:
7 944.17 Commitments and classification; transfers.--
8 (7) Pursuant to such regulations as it may provide,
9 the department may transfer prisoners from one institution to
10 another institution in the correctional system and classify
11 and reclassify prisoners as circumstances may require. In
12 transferring a female prisoner from one institution to
13 another, the department shall consider, in addition to
14 security and medical considerations, whether the prisoner
15 would benefit from being housed in close proximity to her
16 minor child.
17 Section 3. Subsection (7) is added to section 944.24,
18 Florida Statutes, to read:
19 944.24 Administration of correctional institutions for
20 women.--
21 (7) Each female inmate who has a minor child shall,
22 whenever possible, be assigned to a correctional facility that
23 is in close proximity to the child. This subsection does not
24 apply if the court has restricted the inmate's contact with
25 her child.
26 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 944.8031, Florida
27 Statutes, is amended to read:
28 944.8031 Inmate's family visitation; legislative
29 intent; minimum services provided to visitors; budget
30 requests.--
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2007 SB 338
33-26-07
1 (1) The Legislature finds that maintaining an inmate's
2 family and community relationships, and fostering the
3 relationship between a female inmate and her minor child,
4 through enhancing visitor services and programs and increasing
5 the frequency and quality of the visits is an underused
6 underutilized correctional resource that can improve an
7 inmate's behavior in the correctional facility and, upon an
8 inmate's release from a correctional facility, will help to
9 reduce recidivism.
10 Section 5. This act shall take effect October 1, 2007.
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13 SENATE SUMMARY
14 Requires the Department of Corrections to collect certain
information regarding the children of female inmates in
15 the state correctional system and to determine whether
such inmates are in institutions as near to their
16 children as possible. Requires the department to consider
a female inmate's proximity to her minor child when
17 transferring the inmate. Requires that female inmates be
assigned to correctional facilities near their minor
18 children and provides exceptions. Provides legislative
findings and intent.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.