More than three years after 37-year-old Tristin Murphy killed himself with a chainsaw at a South Florida prison, the Florida Senate unanimously passed the most comprehensive reform to mental health in decades.

Murphy, a schizophrenic who was in and out of jail because of his mental illness before eventually being sent to prison on a littering charge, killed himself at the facility with a chainsaw.

Murphy's story was chronicled in the 2023 CBS Miami documentary, Warehoused: The Life and Death of Tristin Murphy. The documentary caught the attention of legislators, most notably Senate President Ben Albritton, who made mental health reform among his top priorities this year.

"Humanity gets the credit for this," Albritton said before the vote, "not any individual, because this bill will save lives. It's going to change the trajectory for people in Florida that don't even know it yet. It's going to make our system stronger."

Tristin Murphy Act targets treatment over incarceration

The Tristin Murphy Act will stress treatment, rather than incarceration, for non-violent offenders with serious mental illnesses.

"The tragedy of Tristin is a painful reminder of what each of us know to be true and that is that the intersection between mental health and our criminal justice system is a very dangerous place for people to be," offered the sponsor of the bill, Senator Jennifer Bradley.

"Jails and prisons in Florida struggle with how to manage our mentally ill population, which is where most of our mentally ill are now. For the acutely mentally ill, the cycle of is jail, a forensic hospital, living on the street and inevitably re-arrest. And this bill will break that cycle. And it will focus our resources on treatment, long-term recovery and stability."

The bill significantly expands a program that has been in effect in Miami-Dade County for years and provides more resources across the state.

Bipartisan support highlights urgency

Senators from both sides of the aisle praised the bill.

"This is beyond all partisanship and the polarization that we see, it's just about doing the right thing," said Senator Jason Pizzo, the Democratic leader in the Senate.

Republican Senator Colleen Burton said the legislature has talked for years about doing something to address the criminalization of mental health, but this is the first bill that has the opportunity to pass.

"This bill attacks mental health at its source," she said. "You have provided us some real tools that I know will make a difference in Floridians lives for years to come."

Senator Rosiland Osgood, who has spoken candidly about her own past struggles with mental illness and drug addiction, said this bill is critically important.

"Often times we are criminalized, we are put in jail, when our disease is running rampant, it send us into very dark places," Osgood said. "And I think today the Florida Senate is sending love to people that live with this disease."

Both the Senate President and Bradley stressed this bill will make communities safer.

"There may be some that read this bill and hear this testimony and they might think it is soft on crime," Albritton said. "I say it's strong on crime, but it is stronger on common sense."

Added Bradley: "This bill will provide hope, it will save lives and more importantly, or just as importantly, this is a bill for public safety. Getting treatment and long-term stability for these individuals is a public safety bill."