States across the country saw changes in their prison admissions and populations due to supervision violations in 2020. But some states were already experiencing reductions in violation admissions and population prior to the pandemic. This snapshot shows available supervision violation data for Florida from 2018 through 2020.
Admissions
From 2018 to 2020, Florida saw a 26 percent decline in the number of prison admissions due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
Total Admissions
Violation Admissions
Technical Violation Admissions
2018
31285
10773
5872
2019
31669
11278
5839
2020
24085
8018
3909
Total
2018
2019
2020
Total admissions
31,285
31,669
24,085
Total Violation admissions
10,773
11,278
8,018
Probation admissions
9,617
10,289
7,228
Parole admissions
1,156
989
790
Total Technical Violation admissions
5,872
5,839
3,909
Probation admissions
5,011
5,141
3,355
Parole admissions
861
698
554
Total New Offense admissions
4,901
5,439
4,109
Probation admissions
4,606
5,148
3,873
Parole admissions
295
291
236
Population
From 2018 to 2020, Florida saw a 32 percent decline in the number of people in prison due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
Total Population
Violation Population
Technical Violation Population
2018
96253
16558
7299
2019
95626
13907
5482
2020
79526
11274
4219
Total
2018
2019
2020
Total population
96,253
95,626
79,526
Total Violation population
16,558
13,907
11,274
Probation population
15,628
13,231
10,621
Parole population
930
676
653
Total Technical Violation population
7,299
5,482
4,219
Probation population
6,758
5,127
3,857
Parole population
541
355
362
Total New Offense population
9,259
8,425
7,085
Probation population
8,870
8,104
6,794
Parole population
389
321
291
Additional State Notes
Florida abolished parole in 1983 but maintained a form of post-prison supervision (outside of probation) on a determinate basis. Population analysis does not include people admitted before July 1, 2011. Of the total population of people in prison on June 30, 2018 (approximately 100,000 people), 68,420 people were admitted since July 1, 2011. In prison data, it is not possible to determine whether new offense supervision violations are the result of a new arrest or new conviction.
Whether an incarceration is the result of a new offense or technical violation is often difficult and problematic to delineate, even in states with available data. Most states do not consider a supervision violation to be the result of a new offense unless a new felony conviction is present, meaning technical violations may include misdemeanor convictions or new arrests. "Prison" includes county jail if the county was reimbursed by the state for a person’s incarceration, which occurs in some, but not all, states. Supervision violations may include revocations (i.e., unsuccessful terminations of a supervision and completion of a sentence in prison or jail) or short-term sanctions (i.e., probation or parole jurisdiction is maintained and the person is incarcerated for a short period of time in prison or jail). Not all states impose or include short-term sanctions in their count of supervision violations.
