Contact:
Rabiah Burks, 202-822-6700
rburks@famm.org

FAMM Celebrates Continued Drop in Florida’s Crime Rate

Firearm aggravated assaults fell 5.1% in the first half of 2018

Tallahassee, Fla. – FAMM today celebrated the release of the Florida Police Department of Law Enforcement’s preliminary data that show a continued drop in Florida’s crime rate for the first half of 2018.

FAMM State Policy Director Greg Newburn said, “Like most of the country, Florida continues to celebrate generational crime lows. That is a testament to the hard work of law enforcement around the state.”

The report shows that firearm-related aggravated assaults fell 5.1 percent between January 2018 and June 2018.

In 2016, the legislature removed aggravated assault from the list of offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences under Florida’s “10-20-Life” gun sentencing law.

“The data show that Florida doesn’t need mandatory sentences to reduce gun crime. The new crime data is consistent with what we have known for years,” Newburn said.

The crime figures help make the case for further sentencing reforms.

“For years, opponents of sentencing reform said that if we restored judicial discretion, crime would skyrocket. We know that’s not true. This data help show that sentencing reform protects public safety and delivers big savings for taxpayers,” Newburn said.

For nearly three decades, FAMM has united the voices of affected families, the formerly incarcerated, and a range of stakeholders and advocates to fight for a more fair and effective justice system. FAMM’s focus on ending a one-size-fits-all punishment structure has led to reforms to sentencing and prison policies in 6 states and is paving the way to programs that support rehabilitation for the 94% of all prisoners who will return to our neighborhoods one day.

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safeguard taxpayer dollars and keep our communities safe. Founded in 1991, FAMM is helping transform America’s criminal justice system by uniting the voices of impacted families and individuals and elevating the issues all across the country.

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