Bills aimed at keeping violent sexual predators behind bars unanimously passed in Florida’s House Wednesday, closing dangerous loopholes that set free offenders who then molested, raped and murdered more children.
Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign the four bills, which were approved last week in the Senate, the News Service of Florida reports. One bill, SB 526, increases penalties for sexual battery and lewd or lascivious offenses against children. The others tighten the rules under which an offender would be considered for release.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel last year highlighted problems with the Florida laws, discovering that violent sexual offenders were arrested after their release for more than 460 child molestations, 121 rapes and 14 murders.