Fla attorney general Charlie Crist pushes for tougher "anti-murder" laws

"Government's got no higher duty to her citizens than to keep them safe," Crist told neighborhood children and law officers at the Malison Park center in Jacksonville.

The legislation Crist calls his antimurder bill is one of the issues on which he is most impassioned in his campaign, a staple part of his stump speech.

The bill would require judges to revoke probation for violent offenders who violate it, sending them back to prison, or to sign a statement saying the offender poses no threat to society. Judges are unlikely to do that, Crist says.

The Legislature has failed to pass the bill in the last two sessions. Critics have questioned whether the number of crimes prevented would be worth the cost of new prison space needed - which Crist said would be about $56 million the first year.

"Too costly? Out of a $74 billion budget? That's hard for me to comprehend," he said. "These are lives - little girls, in our state."

Crist also proposed:

•A required life sentence for anyone convicted of a second sex crime against a child.

•Making it a second-degree felony for anyone older than 18 to use the Internet to attempt to arrange a meeting with a minor for a sexual encounter. The penalty would be up to 15 years in prison.

•Increasing the number of prosecutors and investigators who work solely on Internet crimes against children to 50. Crist said there are fewer than 10 now.

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBKS7QVAOE.html

Redstone

some of the most lax in the country. Maybe they should make it a bit harder for people to get the weapons all these murders are being committed with? :shrug: And then having a law that makes it legal to shoot someone if they look cross-eyed at you? Florida is a land of contradictions and corruption.

I worked for this schmuck when he was running for Senate. That was before I saw the light. If I saw him again I would probably spit in his face.

Florida is a fucked up state to be sure. But can you really blame us? We have all of the problems of large population, non-diversified economy, racial/immigration/language issues all coupled with a throwback, reconstruction-style government. If you have ever lived in a state with a Reconstruction throwback government, you would probably understand. One of the VERY FEW things Governor Bush ever did right in Florida was eliminate a whole bunch of the "Cabinet Post" which have to be elected statewide and made them appointed/confirmed posts, like the national executive branch.