Against the wishes of anti-death penalty advocacy groups, Governor Rick Scott has signed into law the Timely Justice Act, a complex piece of legislation regarding death penalty procedures in the state. It's most prominent feature is aimed at speeding up the process for prisoners on death row to meet their maker.
Critics, such as Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, warn that with the highest number of death row prisoners exonerated (at 24) in the country, Florida is the last state that should be speeding up the pace of executions, which the legislation would do by limiting appeals and mandating prompt death warrants.
“No one knows how many more innocent people are awaiting execution on Florida’s Death Row. A new law that speeds up executions by limiting appeals will almost certainly lead to the execution of innocent men and women,” said Mark Elliott, Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. “It is unconscionable to hurry up executions and further restrict access to evidence of innocence.”
This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2013.