Title: Judicial Accountability

Summary: Requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to collect specified information and prepare a report on the sentences imposed by each circuit judge and county judge in criminal and juvenile cases; requiring the office to post the report annually by a specified date to its website; requiring disqualification of a judge from a case involving a member of a certain demographic group for which there is evidence of disparity in sentencing by that judge with regard to that demographic group, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to judicial accountability; creating s. 38.24, F.S.; requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to collect specified information and prepare a report on the sentences imposed by each circuit judge and county judge in criminal and juvenile cases; requiring that the first report provide information for a specified period and that subsequent reports provide information for the previous calendar year; requiring the office to post the report annually by a specified date to its website; requiring disqualification of a judge from a case involving a member of a certain demographic group for which there is evidence of disparity in sentencing by that judge with regard to that demographic group; requiring the office to annually provide the report to the Chief Justice, the Governor, and specified members of the Legislature by a specified date; requiring the office to annually send each judge an individual report; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 38.24, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 38.24   Judicial accountability.  (1) Pursuant to s. 11.51,the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall collect data and prepare a report detailing the sentences imposed by each circuit judge and county judge in criminal cases and juvenile cases.The initial report must reflect data collected for the previous calenda ryears, and subsequent reports must include data collected for the previous calendar year. The data must identify: (a) The judge who presided over each trial; (b) The judge who presided over the sentencing phase;(c) The circuit and specific location of the court where each case was heard; (d) Each offense for which the defendant was convicted or pled nolo contender eto;(e) The range of possible sentences for each offense; (f) The sentence imposed for each offense, including,but not limited to, jail time, prison time, probation, a fine, or any other imposed terms; and (g) D emographic information about the defendant, including,but not limited to:1. Age. 2. Sex. 3. Race. 4.  Income.5.  Prior criminal history.(2)  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability must post the report by March annually on its website. (3)  Evidence of disparity in sentencing by a judge with regard to any demographic group is grounds for disqualification of that judge from any case involving a member of that demographic group, pursuant to s. 38..(4) Beginning on February 1, 2018, and each February thereafter, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall provide the report to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Governor,the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives.The office shall also send each circuit judge and county judge an individual annual report of his or her data. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.