ORLANDO, Fla. — Justice Reform in Florida often centers around over-incarceration and racial disparities. But there are also disparities in support systems for victims of crime. Several lawmakers in Tallahassee made it one of their top priorities to help maintain human dignity while trying to improve mental health and strengthen rehabilitation. 

However, some criminal justice reform is not gaining traction in the halls of the Florida Capitol.

In the early 2000's while living in Massachusetts, Joel Morales says he was in love. 

“At the beginning the relationship was … you know beautiful in the beginning right?” he said. “So it was beautiful, butterflies, everything like that.”

As the relationship went on, the problems began. “Six months into the relationship it started to get abusive,” Morales said.  

Morales was in a dark place. 

“My partner at the time would hit me, or like beat me,” Morales said. “I couldn’t say that to anyone else.” 

Not only was Morales fearful of coming out to his employers, but he also was afraid to let them know he was a victim of domestic abuse.

“I had got home late one night, and he … my partner would just beat me,” Morales said. “Beat me, cut me, everything.”

Following a police report against his partner, Morales needed a break. Not just to recover physically, but mentally as well.

Dr. Ladonna Butler is the founder of The Well For Life, which is a full-service healing space in south St. Petersburg. The Well allows for a physical space to individuals in need of mental health counseling, wellness and self-care resources. She says victims of crime need time more than anything during their road to recovery.

“Every person’s journey, is different,” Butler said. “Based on preexisting conditions, presupport systems in place.”

House Bill 1467 and Senate Bill 1838 both are aimed at dealing with employee protections, benefits, and accommodations for those who are victims of crime.

Senate Bill 1838, proposed by Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, would protect employees who voluntarily leave work from losing their reemployment benefits. It also protects their employment records. In this case it could relate to:

• Individuals who are a witness to a homicide
• A family member who is a witness to certain crimes
• A victim of domestic violence 
• A victim of sexual Violence 

Currently the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 does not cover time off for victims of a crime.

“A lot of these issues are on the rise, now more than ever,” Jones said. “This is an important issue that we should as a legislative body deal with directly.”

Back home Morales, a victim of domestic abuse, needed time to rehabilitate. Unfortunately at that time, his employer couldn’t provide it.

“I lost my job, I lost myself for a while, I didn’t have any support,” Morales recalled. “The only support I really had were my friends."

After being let go by his employer, Morales says he lost about $10,000 over the next three months. Between lost income, paying rent, and even paying out of pocket to see a mental health specialist.

“When the incident happened, I looked into my HR policies to see if I would be able to take time off due to the fact of what happened to me and there was nothing in there,” Morales said.

Aswad Thomas is the chief of organizing at the Alliance for Safety and Justice. He too is a victim of crime. In 2009, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and caught two bullets in his back while leaving a convenient store. 

He was also just three weeks away from going to Europe to play professional basketball. The Alliance for Safety and Justice works with nearly 42,000 people advocating for legislative support.

“A majority of victims of crime across the state of Florida, across the country are not receiving the resources to help them heal,” Thomas said.

According to Butler, “We want people to at least file for victims' compensation, bury a loved one, access the resources and support they need before returning to their daily responsibilities of work.”

But, these bills are not getting support in Tallahassee from legislators.

“This was one of the high priorities that we wanted to get through the process,” Jones said. “Why it wasn’t heard the world will never know.”

Rehabilitation is also a key focus of criminal justice reform. House Bill 799 targeted criminal sentencing proposed by State Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Escambia County.

“The purpose of the bill was to create a more friendly system for folks that were in trouble but really trying to work their way, working to get a better life for themselves,” Salzman said.

Examples could be someone who is a first-time offender on probation who did not receive any jail time and got a speeding ticket, was involved in car accident, late for a meeting, or late with a curfew during their probation.

Salzman classified many of these instances as minor hiccups, which she feels shouldn’t be an extra burden to folks on probation, tax payers or the judicial system.

“We save a lot of taxpayer dollars,” Salzman said. “You are coming from a legislative standpoint you certainly save a lot of dollars, save a lot of room in the jails, and for me it is about saving humanity.”

Salzman, a rookie representative, says her bill did not have a Senate sponsor, but that like House Bill 1467 and Senate bill 1838, she will take the next several months to work on the bill and try again next year.

Currently the state of Florida does have a Victim Assistance and Compensation Program which is funded through sub grants. Compensation programs provide financial assistance and reimbursement to victims for crime related out of pocket expenses. However, the program does not include any employment security.