Gomez vs Singletary

The Florida Supreme Court today handed down a decision in the case of Gomez vs Singletary. This decision could impact 13,000 inmates who were sentenced after 1983 and are still incarcerated in the Florida system.

This case relates to various early release mechanisms passed by the Florida Legislature between 1983 and 1992. Prison overcrowding resulted in changes to the Florida Statutes that stipulated eligibility for early release credits; specifically, emergency gain time, administrative release credits, and provisional release credits.

It is unknown at this time precisely how many inmates will be released by this court decision. No releases will occur until the completion of all legal actions which could take several months.

The department will file a petition for rehearing with the Florida Supreme Court within the next 15 days. It will also file the appropriate appellate action to the United States Supreme Court.

"We believe there are sufficient grounds for this decision to be modified, clarified, or even overturned," said Deputy Secretary Bill Thurber. "Public safety remains our number one priority. We will pursue this through all legal recourse."