Community Control Sentence In Florida: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Community Control in Florida is a supervision program that is an alternative to incarceration only used in felony cases.  If you are sentenced to Community Control, you are confined to your home unless you are working, attending school, doing public service hours, participating in treatment, or any activity that has been approved by your Community Control officer.  It’s a benefit because you are home with your family and not in prison, but it can be very hard to follow the conditions.  Frequently, probation

The Department of Corrections will supervise you and assign you a Community Control officer (think probation officer).  Offenders will be required to report weekly to the Community Control officer and complete a daily activity log each week and a Community Control Offender Schedule to have preapproved regarding your whereabouts for the upcoming week.  You will also be required to provide an hourly accounting of your whereabouts for the prior week to ensure you did not deviate from your preapproved schedule.

One thing to note is while you may be approved for your residence, common areas such as recreational facilities, swimming pool area, business office, laundry facilities, or the mail area are not included in areas you may be during Community Control.

All travel to and from your job will be verified and approved in advance.  You are only given one-half (1/2) hour before and after your approved activities or employment for travel.  If you request to leave your residence for another reason, the Community Control officer will expect specific information from you regarding the reasons and circumstances for your request, will question you as to the actual need and your responsibilities, will determine the amount of time to accomplish the task, and will limit the commuting time as is reasonable.

Shopping is restricted and must be approved by your Community Control officer.  Church is limited to worship service and religious instruction only and will be checked by church bulletin.  Trips to friends or family members’ homes even for holidays or birthdays are not allowed.   Doctor or dentist visits are okay with verification from a doctor or dentist.  You will be able to get a haircut but must bring receipt to show proof.

As you can see, Community Control is strict, but is a better alternative than incarceration for various reasons.  If you have questions about a possible sentence or about the terms of your current sentence, consult a Jacksonville criminal defense attorney for answers. Contact the Law Office of David M. Goldman, PLLC for more information.