A.G. Gancarski
A bill that would classify strangulation as assault that merits felony charges has unanimously cleared its final House committee.
Rep. Jessica Baker’s legislation (HB 1375) would establish explicit penalties for strangulation, making the penalty for the act a third-degree felony, which could lead to five years in state prison for those convicted.
Baker told the Judiciary Committee the bill applies to people who commit a battery by strangulation “when no domestic relationship exists.” This would extend that from current law, which stipulates a third-degree felony when the victim and the strangler share a “domestic or dating relationship.”
The bill contemplates a “Battery by Strangulation” section of the statute, which defines the term.
“A person commits battery by strangulation if he or she knowingly and intentionally, impedes the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of another person, against the will of that person, by applying pressure on the throat or neck of the other person or by blocking the nose or mouth of the other person,” the language asserts.
The statutory prohibition “does not apply to any act of medical diagnosis, treatment, or prescription which is authorized under the laws of this state.”
While nothing is certain, legislative staff assert in the bill analysis that the “bill may have a positive indeterminate impact on jail and prison beds by creating a new felony offense for battery by strangulation, which may result in more jail and prison admissions.”
The legislation has a Senate companion. Sen. Jonathan Martin is carrying the identical companion measure (SB 1334). That bill is moving through the committee process.
3 comments
Elliott Offen
March 31, 2023 at 1:22 pm
Just keep bumping up the penalties and the time for everything all while running corrupt, dangerous, and inhumane concentration camps here in Florida. It’s a neo nazi hellscape. It’s all fine and dandy until it’s one of your kids who fks up or they make DUI a felony and all of a sudden we have a large percentage of the population being discriminated against in employment and housing which will cause human flight. They’re trying to create a permanent lower class to serve rich Republican tourist scams, hotel and restaurant grifts, and create low wage slaves… fodder for the rural sub-apes who work for the prisons in the rural areas…all the klan bums and other flunkies who vote GOP.
Mercury Ed
March 31, 2023 at 2:35 pm
These hogs making all these stupid disenfranchisement laws probably do all the things that they want to become felonies..or have done them at some point. It’s all about trying to create a lower or subservient class of people by criminalizing everything to the greatest extent possible. They don’t really care if Pedro strangles Tina or Bob chokes his chicken. It’s all about their version of what government is supposed to be… right wing police state instead of laws and government that would benefit the most amount of people. There’s more to government than just security. They don’t understand that. Put a real budget in front of them and they pass out. Conservatives can’t govern. It turns into a mockery of good government.
Jollymuhn
March 31, 2023 at 7:10 pm
A positive effect on prison beds? They think locking more people up is a good thing. What if a cop chokes out a suspect?
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