A statewide civil citation program in Florida would reduce its jail population, save taxpayers money, and free up law enforcement time and resources. Call your state representative and ask them to support HB 367.

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Once connected, tell your state representative why you support HB 367, the pre-arrest diversion program bill.Between Florida’s jails and prisons, there are about 150,000 inmates behind bars at any given time. The vast majority of arrests in Florida are made for non-felony offenses, and the collateral consequences of these “lock ‘em up” policies are wide-reaching and long-lasting. HB 367 and it’s companion in the senate, SB 448, would encourage local communities and public or private educational institutions to implement pre-arrest diversion programs for certain first-time adult offenders. Law enforcement officers would also have discretion to issue a civil citation to those who commit certain low-level misdemeanors instead of arresting them.

TALKING POINTS

House Bill 367 would create a statewide adult civil citation program. This is good for Florida because:

Many nonviolent, misdemeanor offenders do not deserve to go to jail
Civil citation programs all across the US have shown that civil citations reduce crime and recidivism rates.
Civil citations save taxpayers money and law enforcement officer’s time.