Bills filed in both the Florida Senate and House that would allow the death penalty for child rapist
A child being raped could easily be seen by most of society as the most heinous of all crimes. Does it deserve the death penalty? Florida Action Committee does not take a stand on this issue, but there are some facts to consider.
Separate bills in both the house and senate have been filed that would eliminate the requirement for unanimous verdicts by juries to implement the death penalty. A jury vote of 8 to 4 would be the minimum vote required to impose the death penalty.
According to ABC First Coast News, public defender Teri Sopp thinks these bills are a bad idea as “Florida leads the nation with 30 innocent people exonerated from death row since 1973 – one third of the number of people who have been executed…It (the death penalty) is administered unfairly to persons of color, persons with intellectual disabilities, and persons with mental illness.”
Florida statutes does NOT allow courts to consider dementia.
Discover more from Florida Action Committee
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Legislative Session starts this week. Here are the first calendars:
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Calendar/2023/Daily%20Calendars%202023-03-03%20153327.PDF
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/HouseCalendar/finalizedmeetingnotice.aspx?mode=week
I encourage you all to follow each week’s proceedings
https://www.flsenate.gov/
https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/default.aspx
Important to note: These bills would NOT be retro-active. Only for new crimes committed on or after October 1, 2023.
This is why they are not being actively tracked by FAC Legislative Committee.
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1297
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1297/BillText/Filed/PDF
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1342
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1342/BillText/Filed/PDF
Well, now they are.
Capital cases usually have a unanimous verdict requirement and this should too as all other cases are. Shouldn’t be a death penalty consideration to begin with but Ron seems hell bent on being nuts with his political stances.
Why not take a position? This is obviously a terrible proposal fueled by growing hatred of Persons convicted of sexual offenses, AND could allow death on a mere 8-4 vote? This should be the easiest “we oppose” ever.
In my opinion, this is another example of unwise legislation, one to titillate the press and public, and validate reelection as tough on crime. Why? Where are the smart people to ask the hard questions to get the right answers?
Age in defining child rape is not a hard line, as seen by the fact that different states and countries have different ages for consent. Most states claim juvenile status at 18, but not all. Some teens look younger or older than 18; how do we process the rape of a girl who is 19 but looks 13? Some see consent based on when to allow marriage, driving or voting. Girls now in our country can chose a transgender or pronoun change at 5 years old without parental consent. Do most think murdering someone is more heinous than rape, or what about other gray areas like sexual assault? Few murderers receive a death sentence. It is easily conceived that a 17-year old girl might have consensual sex with an 18-year old boy, once seen as legal petting or parking in previous generations, and now be tried as a felony with a death penalty; the parents might influence a consensual act as rape when pressuring their daughter, or a death penalty might be given in the case of a rumor or false accusation. The media is awfully quick to condemn a suspect even when evidence is circumstantial. Books are rampant on the errors of our plea bargain system and the corruption of local prosecutors for winning, not justice. Are there not adequate laws and sentencing standards that already allow processing of the rape suspect? FL is not the best lead in this example, as it boasts the most draconian and human rights violations of its Registered citizens in all 50 states. On what studies do legislators base their belief that the threat of a death penalty will dissuade the commission of that crime? There are none.
Bob, Joe. The act of legislation is written for children 11 and younger who are victims of sexual assault/sexual battery and not for adolescents who are victims of sexual assault/sexual battery.
First, I won’t go into my feelings on what is happening in Tallahassee, other than pure stupidity. Second, Does the rape of a child deserve the death penalty, Absolutlely not. A harsh sentence, yes. If there is an absolute case for severe mental issues, get the person help.