Pam Bondi on Sunshine exemption sealing criminal records: What about sex offenders?
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi says she’s “concerned” about a new exemption to the state’s Sunshine Law, which would virtually eliminate Floridians’ access to millions of criminal and arrest records.
Approved unanimously by lawmakers last month, SB 118 would require clerks to seal more than 2.7 million criminal records and hundreds of thousands of arrest records for individuals who were found not guilty, acquitted at trial, had charges against them dropped or dismissed, or weren’t charged after being arrested.
That would effectively prevent people from knowing whether someone was arrested or charged with a crime when they ultimately aren’t convicted in a court of law.
“What concerns me about this — just as a career prosecutor: Sex offenders,” Bondi told reporters Tuesday. “I think some of those cases are very important, to be able to know about the past and the history. That does concern me.”
“We all know how difficult it is to convict a sex offender, and if they have a case again in the future, I think it’s important for people to be able to know about that. Those are the ones that concern me the most,” she added.
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The First Amendment Foundation raised similar fears in asking Gov. Rick Scott to veto SB 118. The non-profit organization — of which the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times are members — said the legislation “constitutes a significant threat to the public safety.”
In a letter to Scott, foundation president Barbara Petersen wrote that one consequence would be that employers couldn’t check the criminal history of job candidates — for instance, an applicant seeking employment at a daycare center who might have been charged, but not convicted, multiple times for criminal acts against a child.
Bill sponsor and Sarasota Republican Sen. Greg Steube defended the proposal previously by saying it would remove a stigma for people who aren’t convicted in a court of law.
SB 118 was among the most high-profile of 17 new exceptions to the Sunshine Law that lawmakers approved this spring — potential laws that further erode constitutional guarantees to access government records and observe meetings of their elected officials.
SB 118 has not yet been sent to Scott’s desk. Once it is, he’ll have 15 days to decide whether to approve it, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.
The statement “We all know how difficult it is to convict a sex offender” really stands out as ridiculous. As most of know and studies have shown most so-called “sex offenders” have the classification because of taking plea bargains and not actual guilt of the crime charged.
It takes a great deal of money for an individual to fight a state or the federal government. Combine that with the horror stories of those who are targeted and killed in prison (which is clearly being allowed by guards looking the other way) is it any wonder that a plea is accepted even by innocent individuals over the potential of death?
It is sickening that a subclass of citizens has been artificially created for the sole purpose of scaring the population with untrue propaganda and used by shady public figures to manipulate the population with fear for their own personal agenda and profit.
If these public servants would actually serve the public’s interest instead of their own things would be so much better for all. Law enforcement could be used to investigate actual crimes instead of knocking on doors to see if a “sex offender” has moved. It is certainly easier for them to find some excuse to find someone not in compliance with confusing, illogical, and ever changing “laws” and make it appear that they are actually doing something.
Pretty easy for them when they have a list of people to use and abuse for that purpose…THAT IS WHY they don’t want us to be able to have our records sealed.
“…one consequence would be that employers couldn’t check the criminal history of job candidates — for instance, an applicant seeking employment at a daycare center who might have been charged, but not convicted, multiple times for criminal acts against a child.”
Oh, the horror! People who HAVE NOT BEEN CONVICTED of a crime might be able to live their lives in peace.
SB 118 approved by legislators in Florida! Is someone trying to give me a heart attack? Common sense being exercised! I am assuming that AG Pam Bondi is a lawyer…I’ll try not to hold that against her; I assume she went to law school; I assume that while there they taught that in the United States of America one is innocent until proven guilty…not just accused of being guilty. Was that one of the days she missed class? Of all the problems this state has, she picks out the one that has the least negative impact on society and the most negative impact on individual citizens and their families. What is she thinking or is she even thinking? Has she been sipping the ‘paranoia laced coolade’ so long that it is time for her to return to the real world and be re indoctrinated? It is do-gooder politicians like her that have done far more damage than good to the Florida society.
She’s an idiot. Everyone knows it. Have you ever heard her talk?? Pam Blondie. Idiot General.
She’s always reminded me as being a ‘high school teenie bopper’.
What the hell is all the fuss about. A lot of people were ready to elect a president who’s husband should be a sex offender and he would have been the “First Man” or some sort of thing. He used to be our president. Your so damn concerned about public safety, you need to look at your own political friends first……!!!!
Here we go with the political stuff – seriously? Not sure why you think Bill Clinton should be a sex offender but that is beside the point. Pam Bondi is a highly overrated scary person. I guarantee there are plenty of shady things going on in that branch of government. However, that does not change the fact that she immediately used the RSO scare tactic to sway public opinion about this Bill. And that is disgusting no matter which side of the political arena one is on. I have always maintained that to take DNA from everyone that is detained or arrested, to keep available to the public records of all arrested (no matter the outcome) is essentially taking away the “innocent until proven guilty” doctrine. No one should be subjected to being treated as guilty in the public until they are proven guilty – period.
Wait! Crooked Pam Bondi who took a $25,000 bribe from Trump to drop the investigation into Trump University? To borrow a phrase from the supporters of the dirtbag who owns her…”LOCK HER UP!!!” The hypocrisy of the various politicians and all the others involved in all this ongoing egregious injustice is beyond belief! Brothers! Yeah, I called you brothers…remember a couple of things that smarter men than I have said. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” (Sir Winston Churchill) and then from Thomas Paine “Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.” and finally…from another Founding Father and the 3rd president of this nation… “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.” and “Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.” -Thomas Jefferson
“We all know how difficult it is to convict a sex offender…” – Pam Bondi
Really? Because what I saw during my case in 1991 was that it was almost too easy for you wackos to ruin my life for something I didn’t do with no evidence whatsoever but the word of one person. You people were just putting me through the motions of inevitability. Then, you decided that even a withheld adjudication equated to a conviction, even though it’s not. Willfully ignorant lawmakers will do ANYTHING to push an agenda so they can build their next campaign. It’s not about the laws and rules so much as the politics. If she supports these laws – loudly and in the absence of any empirical evidence, who could oppose her next run? This truly is an uphill battle.
How did the “public” get access to the arrest records of people who were never convicted of a crime in the first place?
It is public record and all the mug shots are posted online….