New sentencing laws follow old patterns: A Florida case study

    Authors

    P. L. Griset

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Crim. Justice

    Keywords

    GUIDELINES; Criminology & Penology

    Abstract

    This article traces the origins and potential impacts of two sentencing laws passed in 1997 by the Florida Legislature, The Criminal Punishment Code abandoned statewide structured sentencing and increased opportunities for racial and geographic disparity. The Prisoner Release Reoffender Punishment Act mandated long statutory maximum sentences for repeat offenders in reaction to appellate court rulings that more punitive gain time provisions could not be retroactively applied. Both laws continued a long-standing pattern of unsystematic, yet continual, tinkering with sentencing and correctional policy. The article places the Florida case in the context of the national movement for determinate sentencing and discusses areas for further research. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Criminal Justice

    Volume

    30

    Issue/Number

    4

    Publication Date

    1-1-2002

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    287

    Last Page

    301

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000176816900003

    ISSN

    0047-2352

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