Florida Criminal Sentencing Guidelines

Florida sentencing regulations are extremely stiff for repeat criminal offenders.

Criminal sentencing in Florida is based on the distinction between misdemeanor and felony offenses. After this is determined, more specific criteria will be applied to the eventual decision.

Basics

For a misdemeanor offense, a judge in Florida cannot impose a prison sentence of longer than one year. If the crime is considered a felony, the judge will apply other interpretations to the situation. This may include the criminal's previous actions, how aggravated the offense was or related case precedents as well.

Firearms and Victim Injury

If the crime resulted in injury to someone, the sentencing may reflect that. The guideline is normally to establish if the injury was "minor, moderate, or severe." In the case of a firearms charge and it results in a felony conviction, the person will not receive less than three years incarceration in Florida.

Continuing Offenders

If the person can be identified through Florida statute as a prison releasee re-offender (PRR) and is convicted of a crime within three years of that time, they are looking at serious jail time. If the repeat offender commits a crime of ample gravity, such as burglary, they will face no less than a 15-year sentence due to this prior history.

References

• Prison Releasee Re-Offender
• Florida Sentencing Guidelines

Resources

• Introduction: Overview of Florida's Sentencing Policies