Florida Statutes 943.33 – State-operated criminal analysis laboratories
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 943.33
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
(1) The state-operated laboratories shall furnish laboratory service upon request to law enforcement officials in the state. The testing services of such laboratories by persons employed by or acting on behalf of the department shall also be available to any defendant in a criminal case upon showing of good cause and upon order of the court with jurisdiction in the case. When such service is to be made available to the defendant, the order shall be issued only after motion by the defendant and hearing held after notice with a copy of the motion being served upon the prosecutor and the state-operated laboratory from which the service is being sought.
(2) For purposes of this section, “good cause” means a finding by the court that the laboratory testing service being sought by the defendant is anticipated to produce evidence that is relevant and material to the defense; that the service sought is one which is reasonably within the capacity of the state-operated laboratory, will not be unduly burdensome upon the laboratory, will not impede normal daily laboratory operations, will not negatively impact laboratory certifications or equipment calibration, and does not violate the laboratory’s national certification or accreditation standards; and that the service cannot be obtained from any qualified private or nonstate operated laboratory within the state or otherwise reasonably available to the defense.
(3) This section does not authorize the presence of defense experts or others representing the defense inside a state-operated laboratory facility where actual testing or analysis is occurring and does not authorize the use of state-operated laboratory equipment or facilities by defense experts or other persons not employed by or acting on the behalf of the department.
(4) The court shall assess the costs of all testing, equipment operation, and personnel and any other costs directly attributable to the court-ordered testing to the defendant or the defendant’s counsel, whether public, private, or pro bono, who obtained the testing order. The laboratory providing the service ordered shall include with the report of the analysis, comparison, or identification a statement of the costs of the service provided and shall provide a copy of all reports and analysis performed and cost statement being provided to the prosecutor in the case and the court.