A bi-partisan panel of Tampa Bay political leaders discussed criminal justice reform at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club on Friday.
Panelists included state Sen. Jeff Brandes, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, Hillsborough Public Defender Julianne Holt and Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.
The luncheon meeting discussing criminal justice reform hosted a sold out crowd of Tampa Tiger Bay board members, club members and the general public.
Joyce Hamilton-Henry asked Sen. Brandes what the state is doing to eliminate laws that she says unfairly targets minorities.
"If you look at the major legislation that passed this year, the Attorney General shall establish a criminal code review commission," said Brandes. "It hasn't been done in decades."
The discussion took place less than a month after Gov. Ron Desantis signed Amendment 4, partially crafted by Sen. Brandes, restoring felons right to vote.
Warren, Holt and Chronister have been developing a system to implement the legislation, along with other issues related to criminal justice reform.
"We need to work hard to not use the criminal justice system to solve society's problems," said Holt. "Which is what we do right now."
To watch the entire meeting, tune in this Sunday at 9 p.m. on watch.tbae.net, Spectrum 636 or Frontier 34 in Hillsborough County.
