Stacy Scott

A voter petition to legalize recreational marijuana in the state appears to have more than the required signatures to be placed on the 2024 ballot.

It was impossible to feel settled with the threat of arrest and deadly force hanging over them. But where else could they go?

Alachua County made the joint-effort of state attorney Brian Kramer and public defender Stacy Scott a historic reality: Florida’s Eighth Judicial Circuit will become Florida’s first judicial circuit to integrate equitable sentencing software as an official part of its case management system and plea-bargaining process. Roughly 95% of cases are settled in plea negotiations. Known as the Equity in Sentencing Analysis System (ESAS), this fairly new software provides legal practitioners with a searchable database of statewide sentencing data from the Florida Department of Corrections going back to 1998.

Six panelists discussed the likelihood of recreational marijuana’s legalization in the decade ahead.

Sunday is Father’s Day, and a coalition of local community activists want to raise awareness about the plight of many families who won’t be able to celebrate the special day together.

Gainesville is the first Florida city to have a participatory defense hub. Tennessee, Alabama, California, Pennsylvania and New York are among other states with the community-driven initiative.

Alachua County has voted to stick with the policy of no longer using the labor of Florida state prison inmates.

Updated, Friday, Aug. 10, 2018: Tiffany Robinson on Thursday was sentenced to 12 years in state prison followed by 10 years of probation.Original story,…

In extreme cases, the mental health issues can lead to suicide at the jail, which often prompts discussions on the placement and treatment of such inmates.

Alachua County wants to wait a few more months before moving forward with a plan to place memorial markers at lynching sites throughout the county to give residents more time to ensure the total number included is complete.