Florida Laws and Programs

Florida has implemented various strategies to reduce substance use and its consequences. Florida's drug laws are generally very strict, utilizing principles like three-strikes policies and mandatory minimum [Page 297]sentencing. The state's prevention efforts rely heavily on environmental strategies to reduce access to and availability of alcohol and drugs. Facing severe jail and prison overcrowding, case processing approaches for drug offenders increasingly emphasize diversion strategies that combine community-based treatment, monitoring, and supervision.

Florida implemented a “three strikes” law in 1996 requiring state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. Florida has several mandatory minimum sentences (MMS) and safety valve laws. A mandatory minimum is a sentence, created by Congress ...