Bipartisan legislation introduced for diversion programs and expunction of juvenile arrest criminal records 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In an effort to give children every chance to succeed in life, House bills 195 and 197 and Senate bills 342 and 344 have been introduced for the 2022 Florida legislative session. The legislation would expunge the nonjudicial arrest records of children who have successfully completed diversion programs for criminal offenses and provide for confidentiality of related arrest records exemptions. 

Similar legislation, Senate bills 166 and 274, unanimously passed the House and Senate during the 2021 session but were vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. After conferring again with the Governor's Office, Senator Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, and Rep. David Smith, R-Winter Springs, have filed similar legislation for the 2022 session. At the Governor’s request, the 2022 legislation will prohibit juveniles convicted of various sexual batteries from obtaining diversion and expunction, and the bill goes a step further to also include murder and attempted murder as offenses exempt from diversion or expunction.  

The following is a statement from Carrie Boyd, Policy Director for the SPLC Action Fund.  

“This bill has bipartisan support because even in this polarized time, we can agree that children should be given a chance at redemption. The bill passed the Senate and House unanimously last session, and while the governor vetoed it, we’re grateful for the feedback he gave us that will allow us to pass an even better bill in 2022. This is also the most pro-workforce bill we have seen in a generation as an estimated 27,000 children each year will now enter adulthood without the anchor of a criminal conviction that would prohibit them from obtaining job opportunities, joining the military, securing a house or apartment, obtaining student loans, and more.”