A February 2023 report from FOX 35 Orlando discovered that there are at present 299 inmates on dying row in Florida. That quantity is prone to improve now that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a invoice into regulation that eliminates the unanimous jury advice for the dying penalty.
Learn on to be taught extra about what’s within the new Florida dying penalty regulation and the way it impacts defendants.
What Florida’s New Loss of life Penalty Legislation Entails
The earlier dying penalty regulation in Florida required a unanimous vote to condemn somebody to dying. Nevertheless, now a jury determination of solely 8-4 is critical to advocate a dying sentence.
Regardless of the brand new ruling, the jury should unanimously discover that at the very least one aggravating issue within the statute is current within the case. If the jury can’t discover one, they can not advocate the dying penalty.
Proper now, there are 22 states with lively dying penalty provisions, most of which require a unanimous determination. Florida now has the bottom threshold for capital punishment of any state. Alabama is the one different state that doesn’t require unanimity – Alabama regulation requires a jury vote of 10-2.
How the Legislation Can Have an effect on Defendants
With the brand new Florida capital punishment regulation, prosecutors could also be extra prone to search out the dying penalty for these charged with a felony.
Due to the antagonistic results on defendants, anybody with an impending trial for a life felony, corresponding to homicide, sexual battery, or armed kidnapping, ought to instantly retain a prison protection lawyer.
What Lies Forward for Loss of life Penalty Legal guidelines in Florida?
This isn’t the primary time Florida’s dying penalty course of will work its manner via the courtroom system. The regulation comes on the heels of one other invoice simply signed into regulation by DeSantis that permits for the dying penalty for a kid rape conviction. Authorized students anticipate each legal guidelines to face scrutiny within the courtroom system and finally make their solution to the U.S. Supreme Courtroom.
Contact Mike G. Legislation for Legal Protection Illustration
The brand new Florida dying penalty regulation makes defendants extra prone to face the dying penalty in relevant instances.
When you’re going through a prison cost of any form, schedule a session with probably the greatest prison protection attorneys within the state of Florida. At Mike G. Legislation, we battle in your prison justice and relieve you of the stress, nervousness, and sleepless nights attributable to the challenges you might be going through.
