The Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, which represents Orange County and Osceola County, has established a Career Criminal Unit to ensure all incoming felony cases are screened for sentencing enhancements using a uniform approach.
Sentencing enhancements are a crucial tool against repeat offenders in preserving public safety. They are laws that increase the sentence of a crime based on how often certain crimes were committed and who committed them. Examples of sentencing enhancements include habitual felony offender, habitual violent felony offender, violent career criminal and prison release reoffender.
A team of three designated assistant state attorneys (ASAs) will review all felony files in the Central Florida counties to make sure sentencing enhancements are applied in provable cases where the facts and the defendant’s criminal history indicate the need for such measures.
The Career Criminal Unit guarantees a review by an experienced prosecutor and a uniform approach in line with Florida Statute 775.0843(2), which mandates each state attorney’s office establish a career criminal prosecution unit and implement relevant policies.
Despite going into effect in 2011, State Attorney Bain is the first state attorney in the Ninth Circuit to fulfill the law’s requirement by creating the necessary unit.
“By systematically reviewing felony cases for sentencing enhancements we can provide a stronger, more consistent response to repeat offenders and show the community we are taking every legal action possible to keep repeat offenders away from our communities,” State Attorney Bain said. “It also allows us to be more transparent and provide important statistics on how we handle repeat offenders. We will be able to accurately provide data on the number of defendants qualifying for enhancements, the number of cases where we sought these enhancements and the number of enhancements ordered by the Court.”
