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Politics
Committees approve tougher penalties
The Anti-Murder Act and legislation to fight child porn both head for the floor.
Associated Press
Published February 25, 2007
TALLAHASSEE - Most violent offenders who violate probation would be jailed until a hearing can be held, and most Internet sex crimes would carry stiffer penalties, under bills heading to the House and Senate floors for consideration. The Anti-Murder Act, the top priority of Gov. Charlie Crist, and a bill to combat child pornography on the Internet, pushed by Attorney General Bill McCollum, were approved by their final House committee Friday. The final Senate committee approved the bills Thursday. They are the top crime bills for the legislative session that begins March 6. Crist's Anti-Murder Act would require those who violate probation after previously committing crimes like kidnapping or aggravated battery to be jailed until a judge can hold a "danger to the community" hearing. At that hearing, the judge would have to make a written finding on whether probation should be revoked and the offender sent to prison, or whether probation should be continued. Crist has pushed the measure for several years after high-profile crimes, such as the kidnapping and murder of Sarasota's 11-year-old Carlie Brucia and the murder of six people in Deltona over possession of an Xbox video game system. Carlie's killer and the Deltona ringleader were awaiting hearings on whether they had violated probation on earlier crimes. The measure would cost about $22-million in its first year and about $163-million over its first three years as more suspects are jailed. It has an undetermined fiscal affect on counties. The Internet sex crimes bill would increase penalties for the possession of child pornography, and would create a new crime of taking a step to meet a child after initiating contact on the Internet. It would also require sexual predators to register their e-mail addresses and instant messaging names with authorities at the same time they have to register their home addresses. These names would then be provided to social networking Internet sites, which could then block the users.
[Last modified February 25, 2007, 05:32:46]
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