Latest news with #SenateCriminalJusticeCommittee
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida Lawmakers Don't Want You To Know When a Cop Shoots Someone
A Florida bill that could allow agencies to withhold the names of police officers involved in use-of-force incidents resulting in death or great bodily harm has passed in the state Senate Criminal Justice Committee with little opposition. Companion legislation has also advanced in the state's House of Representatives. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters (R–Sarasota), was introduced in response to a 2023 Florida Supreme Court ruling that the state's constitutional protections for alleged crime victims under the state's current Marsy's Law do not include a right to anonymity. The court's opinion stemmed from a 2020 case involving two fatal police shootings in Tallahassee. Reporters sought the names of the officers involved, whose use of force was deemed justified, to enhance transparency and the public's trust in the department. But under Marsy's Law, these officers were considered victims, and departments were banned from disclosing "information or records that could be used to locate or harass the victim or the victim's family, or which could disclose confidential or privileged information of the victim." The court's seven Republican-appointed justices took a textualist approach and held unanimously that no victim—police officer or otherwise—had the right to remain anonymous under Marsy's Law as written. The court reasoned that the central clause of the ban did not include the concept of identity, which the law's drafters were capable of including. Further, the court was concerned that broadening the interpretation of the clause would introduce inconsistencies within other areas of the state constitution and undermine defendants' right to confront witnesses. However, the court stated that the opinion did not prevent an expansion of the law to exempt more information from disclosure, leaving the door open to future legislative action. Now, Florida legislators are considering Gruters' bill to reverse the court's ruling and expand Marsy's Law protections by exempting the release of alleged crime victims' names in public records. But the bill's language doesn't stop there. The proposal also creates an additional protection within the existing Marsy's Law for law enforcement officers involved in "use of force incidents," defined as those where an officer uses deadly force or force that results in great bodily harm. The bill mandates that the names of officers involved in a use-of-force incident cannot be disclosed for a minimum of 72 hours following an incident. Employing agencies would also be granted the ability to extend the confidentiality period indefinitely or until the agency determines that anonymity is no longer necessary. This provision would extend alleged crime victims' anonymity protections advocated for by Marsy's Law proponents to all law enforcement officers, regardless of whether the officer was a victim of a crime when force was used. Marsy's Law amendments, which have been enacted in 12 states (and overturned in two), have been criticized for being, at best, confusing, vague, and duplicative, and at worst, seriously infringing on defendants' constitutional and due process rights. Criminal justice transparency is essential to building public trust, which is why civil rights groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union, have warned that versions of Marsy's Law could be abused by law enforcement to shield officers who use force while on duty from accountability. Gruters' proposed changes to Florida's Marsy's Law not only invite such abuse—they almost guarantee it. The post Florida Lawmakers Don't Want You To Know When a Cop Shoots Someone appeared first on
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Despite Texas defendant's death in Louisiana prison, lawmakers unlikely to end reliance on out-of-state lockups
One year after Harris County criminal defendant Jaleen Anderson died in a Louisiana prison, some Texas lawmakers want more transparency into the out-of-state lockups holding Texas' growing jail population. But Texas officials are also considering bills that could likely increase the number of people county jail officials must house as they await the resolutions of their cases. And Anderson's family is still seeking answers about how the 29-year-old died in private prison in a neighboring state. The Houston resident was arrested on drug possession charges in March 2024. He was denied bail, and Harris County officials sent him to a Louisiana prison annually paid millions of dollars to hold inmates Texas' most populous county can't accommodate. Although Harris County has the largest jail in the state, it faces a chronic staffing shortage that prevents them from using all of their jail beds. Out-of-state facilities do not have to follow the standards set by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. And they don't have to adhere to a Texas law that requires the reporting and investigation of deaths of people in jails or prisons within the state. Anderson's family filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday against several defendants, including Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales and corrections staff at the Louisiana prison where Anderson died. While at LaSalle, Anderson suffered repeated seizures that left him vomiting, disoriented and unresponsive. Texas lawmakers have filed three bills that would require the state to report deaths like Anderson's that occur out-of-state. One of them, Senate Bill 2289, unanimously passed through the Senate Criminal Justice Committee this week. Filed by Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, the bill would mandate jails to report how many inmates are confined in out-of-state lockups and the total number of deaths that have occurred in them. Aside from Harris County, four other East Texas counties — Sabine, Tyler, Newton and Chambers — are also holding inmates in private prisons out of Texas because they don't have enough space in their own county jails, said Brandon Wood, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. That figure could continue to increase if Texas lawmakers pass bills that increase criminal penalties or create new felony crimes while the state does not currently have capacity to hold more people. 'There's no large block of jail beds available in Texas,' said Billy Bryan, former president of the Texas Jail Association. Counties are sending inmates out of state because, Bryan said, 'there's no alternative.' Lawmakers are also considering bills that would change the state's bail policies and keep more criminal defendants in jail while they await the resolution of their cases. Those changes — which have the support of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott — would likely increase the number of people in county jails, which mostly hold people who have been accused but not yet convicted of a crime. Texas county jails house about 71,000 people, based on data provided by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Some 3,596 of those are held outside of their county of arrest — either because their jail doesn't have enough space or because they don't have enough staff. That number is lower than it was in February but higher than the average over the past five years. Harris County currently has about 1,200 people housed in out-of-state facilities, including 521 in LaSalle, a county spokesperson said. In their lawsuit, Anderson's family alleges 'unconstitutional conditions in LaSalle.' And it accuses Harris County of breaching its duty to provide adequate medical care to its detainees. Harris County 'cannot delegate its duty to provide care for and ensure that its detainees receive adequate medical care,' attorney Stephen Weil said during a Wednesday press event about the lawsuit. Weil is one of the attorney's representing Anderson's family. The Harris County Sheriff's Office completed an investigation into Anderson's death, according to Jason Spencer, a spokesperson for the office. Spencer declined to comment on the findings, saying he is unauthorized to discuss them because of the litigation. He said in a written statement that LaSalle is required to meet stringent health and safety standards for Harris County inmates, and the Harris County Sheriff's Office conducts facility inspections to ensure compliance. 'The Sheriff's Office continues to work with LaSalle and other outsourcing providers to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all inmates,' Spencer said. Still, state leaders have expressed concerns about the standards of jails and prisons in other states. During their quarterly meetings, members of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards often ask county officials about standards in other states and encourage them to exhaust all options in Texas before looking at out-of-state facilities. But lawmakers have not filed legislation to prohibit the practice of outsourcing — in part because there isn't space in Texas. Bryan, who also chairs the legislative committee of the Texas Jail Association, lauded Miles for 'starting the conversation' about outsourcing and said his bill will enhance accountability. Another bill, Senate Bill 2263, filed by Sen. Molly Cook, D-Houston, would also require the justice of the peace where the county jail is located to conduct an investigation into out-of-state jail deaths and file a report with the attorney general within a month of the inmates' death. That bill was referred to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. A hearing has not been scheduled. House Bill 4642, by Rep. Mary González, would also require out-of-state correctional facilities that house Texas inmates to meet the minimum standards set by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. That bill has not been referred to a committee. In the year since Anderson died, his mother, Sarah Knight, has sought information about how Anderson died. She has pushed the county to conduct an investigation and urged county officials and state leaders to stop sending inmates to out-of-state facilities. Through an investigation conducted by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Knight has received a trove of information: video footage, interviews and other documents that she says have helped her piece together her son's final days. What she found has only left her more impassioned. 'It feels like he was killed by LaSalle,' Knight said between tears on Thursday. 'When you let someone die this way, it's very hard … it's a hard day.' The report findings, the family's legal filing claims, outline a harrowing series of events where Anderson suffered escalating seizures and requested medical attention to no avail. Screenshots of video surveillance footage included in the legal filing show Anderson lying on the concrete floor of a cell and sitting huddled in a wheelchair. Although guards repeatedly called called attention to his condition, 'one nurse after another brushed them off, making no effort to determine why Mr. Anderson kept having seizures or whether he was in danger,' the complaint states. The complaint also documents prior lawsuits against LaSalle that allege inadequate medical care. The company's track record is well documented and should have been cause for alarm for Harris County, the attorneys argue. Four Texas inmates have died while held in LaSalle, according to Texas Jail Project founder Krish Gundu, whose organization tracks jail deaths and advocates for people in county jails. 'We hope this lawsuit will send a strong message that our community will no longer tolerate our loved ones being arbitrarily ripped away from their families and transferred hundreds of miles away,' said Gundu, who is not named in the lawsuit but is in support of it. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pensacola AI fake 'nude' photos prompt proposed legislation. What it means for victims.
Florida legislators are working to pass new laws that will close what police say is a loophole when it comes to using Artificial Intelligence to alter and sexualize the images of others without their permission. The bills are in response to cases like the one the News Journal first reported last fall involving a high school student who downloaded images of girls and young women and altered them to appear 'nude' using an AI powered app. One of the victims in that case, Lucy Adams Stevenson, spoke before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday in support of Senate Bill 1180, which would make it a crime for people to create nude photos of identifiable people and lewd imagery involving a child. Currently, it's not a crime to use Artificial Intelligence to make the images, but it is to 'promote,' transfer, or share them. That's the reason why 18-year-old William Stafford, who admitted to police he downloaded the social media pictures of girls he thought were attractive and 'undressed' them, was never charged. However, his ex-girlfriend was arrested for sending a video she made of the images to others, including the victims. Parents say wrong person charged: Police arrest girl for sending fake, nude photos of females. Why parents are outraged Stevenson shared her story with the News Journal, last year, saying she grew up with William Stafford as her god-brother and she felt betrayed when he altered one of her pictures to appear nude. The high school senior told legislators the image he altered of her was one taken when she was 16 years old working as a counselor at a Christian summer camp. 'He used all of these images from our private Instagram accounts and edited them into child pornography in my image,' Lucy Adams Stevenson told the committee. 'His ex-girlfriend was the one who sent them to everyone just kind of letting them know, 'Hey, this is what's going on.' She got in a bunch of trouble, but nothing really happened to him, which is why I'm in support of the bill, because to prevent it in the future and to hold people like him accountable.' Stafford was identified by the court when his ex-girlfriend was sentenced to eight months' probation, earlier this month, for her role in sending the images. Senator Don Gaetz sponsored SB 1180 in response to the Escambia County case. He said under this bill, a person who willfully and maliciously generates and possesses hardcore pornography of an identifiable person without that person's consent can be prosecuted for a felony in the third degree. 'There have to be guardrails around misusing artificial intelligence to create deep fakes that sexually exploit and victimize young women,' Gaetz told the committee. 'Many of the girls depicted in the photos are traumatized by the incident and they and their parents are worried about will happen to those images.' The Senate Criminal Justice Committee passed SB 1180 on Tuesday. A companion bill is also making its way through the House of Representatives. HB 757 would also criminalize explicitly AI-generated photos of real people. Rep. Alex Andrade worked with the sponsors of the bill to close legal loopholes that allowed those who create sexual depictions of others without their permission to avoid charges. 'It's a much-needed bill,' Andrade said. 'I worked with the Governor's office and the bill sponsor to help address the circumstance we had here at home. It was an unfortunate and unforeseen loophole that we all agree needs to be fixed immediately.' If the bills are passed, the law would take effect Oct. 1. 'I hope it becomes a law because I feel that it is important to make sure that the person who originally created the images should have consequences even if they did not share it,' Stevenson told the News Journal in a follow up interview. 'Because in our case, the person who created the images did not face legal consequences, but the person who shared them did. This bill makes it to where, while the person who shared them would still face consequences, the creator of the content would as well.' This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Fake AI 'nude' photos case in Pensacola leads to new criminal laws
CBS News
09-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
The Tristin Murphy Act
THE TRISTIN MURPHY ACT This week Florida legislators convened their annual 60-day session and one of the very first bills they took up was Senate Bill 168 – the Tristin Murphy Act. It is a major development in the aftermath of our CBS News Miami documentary "Warehoused: The Life and Death of Tristin Murphy." The President of the Florida Senate is making passage of the bill a priority. It is designed to reform how mentally ill people like Tristin are treated in the state's criminal justice system by offering them treatment rather than prison. Tristin killed himself violently, during a prison work detail. Jim takes us inside the bill's first hearing in front of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, where a variety of law enforcement officials and state politicians testified. Tristin's mother Cindee, who has been fighting tirelessly to get the bill before legislators, was also at the hearing. She was accompanied by her grandson and Tristin's son Cody. Cindee left the room speechless when she read a letter that Cody had written.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers move forward on bail reform package
The Brief Texas lawmakers are moving forward on the bail reform package SB 9 will include keeping violent undocumented immigrants in jail, as well as Jocelyn's Law AUSTIN, Texas - State lawmakers are moving forward on legislation to keep violent undocumented immigrants in jail. That's just one piece of the bail reform package. It also includes "Jocelyn's Law." A bill named after a 12-year-old girl who was murdered and left under a bridge in Houston. RELATED:Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls on House to pass bail reform package What they're saying A Senate committee passed a package of bail reform measures on Wednesday. The package includes a call for a public vote on eliminating bail for undocumented immigrants who commit violent crimes. "There's nothing more important than the safety of our citizens. There's nothing more important than pushing back when courts release dangerous felons onto the streets to kill again," said Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. The reform bills were heard Wednesday in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. They make it tougher for judges to let violent suspects out on bond and limit the use of tax dollars to help offenders get out of jail. "These family members, these victims have come to us time and time again begging for an injustice to be righted. At some point you have to think, why are we here, what is the government all about?" said Houston Senator Joan Huffman. The package includes calling for a public vote on constitutional amendments that would deny bond to undocumented immigrants who are accused of committing violent crimes. And another constitutional amendment that would prevent someone from bonding out of jail for some extreme crimes and in cases of human trafficking. "These are not isolated cases, this is all over the state, and you could argue all over the country by a judicial system that seems to focus more on the killers than those they killed," said Patrick. Local perspective Travis County GOP chairman Matt Mackowiak says Senate Bill 9 is critical to Travis County. He says it's outrageous the Texas House has not moved bail reform bills the last two sessions. "The reason crime is going up in Austin is because habitual offenders are not being treated seriously," said Mackowiak. Several victims of violent crimes testified, one being the mom of Jocelyn Nungaray, the 12-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted and murdered in Houston by two suspected Tren De Aragua gang members who entered the country illegally. The two men have been charged with capital murder and were put in jail on $10 million bond each. "The fact that my family and I had to be there to make sure they had a high enough bond is something we shouldn't have had to sit through. No victim should have to be subject to that. No victim's family should have to be subject to that," said Jocelyn's mother Alexis. The other side But opponents fear the passing of Senate Bill 9 could mean overcrowding in jails. "As a result of Senate Bill 6, Texas saw a sharp uptick in jail population where the total jail population rose by almost over 7% with some counties seeing a much bigger increase, we're bound to see similar or most drastic results under Senate Bill 9," said Kirsten Budwine, Policy attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project. And that's not their only concern. "Prosecutors are one of the most powerful figures in our legal system. Expanding their powers to allow them to appeal a bail order when they subjectively think the amount is insufficient, and effectively keeping people in jail while the appeal is pending is extremely troubling," said Budwine. What's next Lt. Gov. Patrick said he's confident speaker Burrows will get the bills passed. He says he will call as many special sessions needed to pass the legislation. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King
