Defede Columns

"Criminal Cuts"

MIAMI (CBS4) ― The Quick Fix
By Jim DeFede


Today in Tallahassee, members of both the House and Senate will take to the floor of their respective chambers and offer impassioned pleas on the need to increase penalties for certain crimes. They will rail against weak, permissive judges and argue these measures are necessary to keep the public safe.

And when these bills pass, as they almost certainly will, these legislators will go home and tell the voters they did everything they could to keep them safe.

Because as we all know, appearing tough on crime is always good for a few votes.

Amid all the posturing that will take place today, another scene will be playing out as well, as legislators continue to look for places in their budget to cut. While there have been proposals for massive cuts to health and social service agencies, another area that will take a sizeable hit will be the criminal justice system.

Under the proposals recently released by House Republicans there will be far fewer prosecutors, public defenders, court workers and probation officers.

Here are a few of the numbers:

  A $10.8 million cut to public defenders across the state resulting in 148 fewer full time positions. 

  A $20.75 million cut to state attorneys across the state resulting in 321 fewer full time positions

  A $11.26 million cut to the state court system resulting in 211 fewer full time positions

  A $37.6 million cut to the community corrections and probation staff resulting in 607 fewer full time positions

  A $31.1 million cut to inmate drug treatment programs which will mean 44,000 inmates and individuals on probation who currently receive drug treatment and counseling will no longer be eligible for any help

If numbers tell a story, then here is the tale this budget promises:

When individuals complete their prison sentences, they will be more likely to commit new crimes since they didn't receive treatment and counseling for their addictions. And since there will be fewer probation officers to monitor their actions when they are released, it will be up to local police departments to catch them. When they are caught, there will be fewer prosecutors to prosecute them, fewer public defenders to defend them, and fewer court personnel to try them.

If they are convicted, there will be fewer places for them to go (the legislature is proposing closing at least one prison) and fewer guards when they get there (the senate budget plan calls for firing 1,800 prison guards). And of course, once inside, they will still have no treatment or counseling programs available to them.

"We are compromising public safety with some of the things that we are doing," said State Rep. Priscilla Taylor, a Democrat from Palm Beach who serves on the committee overseeing criminal justice matters.

Added State Rep. Jack Seiler: "If you think taking away substance abuse treatment programs for 44,000 individuals, and it is not going to result in more crime, you're blind.

"We need to get our priorities straight," the Broward Democrat continued. "We need to spend some dollars up front on substance abuse counseling and save dollars on the back end for incarceration; spend dollars up front on prevention, save dollars on the back end on prosecution."

Obviously the Department of Corrections is concerned.

"We don't think it is a good idea," said Gretl Plessinger, communications director for the department.

"This is a short-term fix that hurts us in the long run. Sixty-five percent of inmates and 57 percent of probationers have an identified drug problem. Drugs lead them into a cycle of criminal activity and if they don't receive treatment they are going to continue in this cycle of going in and out of prison. And if we can reduce the number of people coming back to us then ultimately we know we can save the taxpayers money."

Prosecutors and public defenders in South Florida are anxiously watching the debate in Tallahassee and are still trying to determine the impact to their individual offices. The chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court recently said the cuts to the courts would be catastrophic.

Democrats in the Florida House asked the staff of the criminal justice committee to explain the impact these cuts will have on the system.
Regarding the cuts to public defenders and prosecutors the committee staff wrote that these cuts will mean "an increase in caseloads" and they acknowledge matter-of-factly, "this certainly would slow down the trial process."

Reducing the number of probation officers will have a similar effect, they noted. "Currently, one officer will have about 85 cases," the committee staff noted. "This cut will increase caseload per officer to about 119."

The cuts to court personnel will further clog the system. "Speedy trial will not be affected," the staff argued. "The entire process will just move slower for other cases where a speedy trial has not been requested."

So if you think a case moving through the court system moves slowly now, wait until you see what happens if these cuts are approved.

A final decision on the budget will be made in the next few weeks. And there seems to be some gamesmanship taking place between the House and the Senate. The House, for example, eliminates funding for drug treatment. The Senate fully funds it. The House could be using elimination of the program as a bargaining chip with the Senate to try and get something else in return.

But these are games with serious consequences. And as they attempt to burnish their law and order credentials by grandstanding on crime today, they would do well to remember that. 

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