‘Tristin Murphy Act,’ designed to protect mentally ill in jails, goes into effect

An emotional journey for legislation designed to protect incarcerated individuals suffering mental health issues enters its final phase as it takes effect Oct. 1.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the “Tristin Murphy Act” earlier this year. The measure is named after Tristin Murphy, who committed suicide in a Florida prison in 2021.

The legislation calls for the state to establish probation conditions for defendants with mental illness, sets requirements for work assignments for those detainees and expands training options under the criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse grant programs.

The Senate’s original bill (SB 168) was crafted by Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican.

Senate President Ben Albritton, a Wauchula Republican, personally championed the Tristin Murphy Act. When it was finally approved by DeSantis, he became emotional.

“Tristin’s parents have been so brave to tell his story and advocate for improvements to the way offenders with a mental health challenge are treated within the criminal justice system,” Albritton said after DeSantis signed the measure in June.

“Learning about Tristin’s story and spending time with his parents had a profound impact on me. We are proud to have Cindee and Dennis (Murphy) here with us today as Gov. DeSantis signs this bill into law with their support.”

Albritton said the measure was long overdue and pointed out that not all Floridians who end up in jail on different charges are the same.

“There is a big difference between a hardened criminal and someone who needs intervention to address a serious mental health challenge. This bill strikes a balance that gives law enforcement more options to keep our communities safe,” Albritton said.

Debate over the bill on the floor of the House and Senate often ended with lawmakers choking up during debate. While there may have been some different perspectives on the details of crafting the measure, all lawmakers agreed the issue needed to be addressed.

Bradley said she’s relieved the measure is now law and praised Murphy’s parents.

“Their tragedy has inspired so many to take action to help people struggling with mental illness get the help they need. If someone commits a serious, violent crime, they need to be incarcerated for public safety. This bill provides a different path for less serious crimes where the defendant, their family, and the community would be better served by allowing the defendant to receive the necessary mental health treatment,” Bradley said.