Ensured Criminals Serve Their Time

Under the Chiles/MacKay administration, Florida's crime rate dropped for six straight years. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) used the latest breakthroughs in technology to catch criminals and keep Floridians safe and secure.

Also under the Chiles/MacKay administration, the Department of Corrections increased the time prisoners serve behind bars, increased the capacity of Florida corrections facilities, focused on rehabilitation for non-violent, non-repeat offenders and saved taxpayer dollars.

In 1990 and 1991, Florida inmates served only about one-third of their sentences due to prison overcrowding. As a result of the Chiles/MacKay efforts to make sure that criminals spent their time in a cell and not on the streets, several improvements were made to Florida's corrections system — allowing prison time served to more than double since 1991.

Beginning in 1994, Chiles/MacKay eliminated Basic Gain Time for any person committing a crime on or after the first of the year. Early release was terminated entirely in Florida correctional facilities in December 1994 — a full 11 months ahead of schedule. All Florida inmates now must serve a minimum 85 percent of their sentences Now a life sentence in Florida means just that — an inmate sentenced to life will remain in prison until death.