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The vast majority of Americans agree that it’s important to keep violent criminals off the street by ensuring they are under lock and key. That’s obvious.
So what makes Nushin G. Sayfie, Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, believe she has the unilateral right to propose a reform plan that might allow violent criminals to be released without posting a bond and before appearing before a judge?
That’s the definition of a lone wolf acting independently and completely out of sync with the rest of us.
Take a look at what Judge Sayfie is proposing. Based on her modifications to Miami-Dade County’s Pretrial Release Program, a defendant charged with non-domestic assault and battery would be eligible for release without posting a bond or appearing before a judge. So would a defendant charged with robbery by sudden snatching. And a defendant arrested for animal cruelty resulting in serious bodily injury or death.
Are these the kinds of people who should be given a free pass and allowed to sashay out of jail after promising to return for their day in court? Of course not, and the uproar against her proposal has been deafening.
The answer is a resounding no.
Governor DeSantis, vowing to block “rogue” judges, recently announced new criminal justice legislation that would strengthen state rules covering judges and their ability to release a defendant from custody. The Florida Legislature will consider DeSantis’ new laws in the spring. As a result, Judge Sayfie announced she would shelve her proposal until the Legislature meets.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle has also made her position clear on Judge Sayfie’s proposal, announcing that she believes any changes to bail reform initiatives should involve input from the community and that the process of development and implementation should be transparent and taken slowly.
Let’s put it to the people in a referendum and see how much support there is for such a misguided idea. Poll the victims of domestic violence and purse snatching.
If we need to build more jails to house these defendants, let’s build them. The American people will support that. What they won’t support is a bail reform initiative that puts violent criminals back on the street within hours of being arrested.
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