The Florida bishops invite all Catholic faithful to join them in their promise to educate, advocate and pray for an end to the use of the death penalty. Administered by the Catholic Mobilizing Network, the National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty was initiated at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offices in Washington, D.C., and Florida's bishops were among the first signatories.

On Thursday, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Equal Justice USA, and several other advocacy organizations sponsored a rally at the capitol. Participants urged an end to the use of the death penalty as well as voiced support for State Attorney Aramis Ayala's decision within Florida law to not seek the death penalty in any case under her jurisdiction. Ayala's office handles cases from Orange and Osceola Counties.

During the committee weeks leading up to the 2017 legislative session, Florida lawmakers acted quickly to address an October 2016 Florida Supreme Court decision that struck down the state's death sentencing scheme. The state's high court ruled that a new 2016 law requiring agreement of only 10 of 12 jurors to recommend death was unconstitutional.

During the committee weeks leading up to the annual legislative session, the Florida House and Senate have acted quickly to address an October 2016 Florida Supreme Court decision that struck down the state's death sentencing scheme. The state's high court ruled that a new 2016 law requiring only 10 of 12 jurors to recommend death was unconstitutional.

On October 14, the Florida Supreme Court in Hurst v. Florida found that a new law requiring a 10-2 jury decision to impose a death sentence was unconstitutional. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's death penalty system prompting the Florida legislature to pass a bill that requires at least ten jurors agree in order to sentence someone to death. This was an improvement over previous law that only required a simple majority of jurors (7 of 12) to recommend a death sentence. However, noting that unanimous juries provide the highest degree of reliability, the state's highest court found the new law insufficient.

Dale Recinella, Catholic Correctional Chaplain for Death Row, explains the realities of the death penalty system in his recent article, "Answering the last gasps of Catholic support for the U.S. death penalty," published by the Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Use of the Death Penalty.

The Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments on May 5 in a case involving Timothy Lee Hurst, who was sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of Cynthia Harrison in Pensacola. Hurst was the plaintiff in a legal challenge that led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that Florida's death-penalty sentencing system was unconstitutional because it allowed a judge, not the jury, to find each fact necessary to impose a death sentence.

On Monday, Governor Scott signed into law a new death sentencing scheme that addresses a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. The January 12 ruling in Hurst v. Florida found Florida's system for sentencing a person to death unconstitutional because it allows a judge, not the jury, to find each fact necessary to impose a death sentence. The legislation also requires that at least 10 of 12 jurors agree when recommending death.

On the first day of the 2016 Legislative Session, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that found Florida's system for sentencing a person to death unconstitutional because it allows a judge, not the jury, to decide whether the circumstances of a crime warrant a sentence of death.

On Wednesday, January 27, the Senate Criminal Justice Subcommittee held a workshop to discuss legislative remedies that address Florida's death sentencing process in response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hurst v. Florida.

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops has long identified the need to address Florida’s flawed death sentencing scheme despite our position that life imprisonment without parole is an alternative that keeps society safe and renders the death penalty unnecessary.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Oscar Ray Bolin, Jr. is scheduled to be executed by the State of Florida on January 7 at 6:00 p.m. for the 1986 murder of Teri Lynn Matthews. If carried out, Bolin would be the 23rd Death Row inmate executed under Governor Rick Scott's leadership. Bolin is serving a separate death sentence for the murder of Stephanie Collins and received a life sentence for the murder of Natalie Blanche Holley.

On November 30, dioceses in Florida will participate in an international project spearheaded by the lay Catholic community of Sant'Egidio. Each year, about 2,000 cities in more than 80 different countries celebrate the International Day of Cities for Life, Cities against the Death penalty.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops urges Governor Scott to commute the sentence of Jerry Correll, scheduled for execution on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 6:00 p.m., to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mr. Correll is scheduled to be the 22nd person executed during Governor Scott’s tenure, the most to take place under the watch of any one Florida governor since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.

On October 13, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments in Hurst v. Florida regarding Florida's capital sentencing practices. SCOTUS will consider whether Florida violates their 2002 decision in Ring v. Arizona which found that a jury, and not a judge, must find that a defendant qualifies for the death penalty. After Ring, every state, except Florida, amended their statutes to require a unanimous finding of aggravating circumstances.

In US Catholic churches, the month of October is designated as Respect Life Month, a time during which we are called to celebrate God's gift of human life and to endorse a culture that values the inherent dignity of all people in all circumstances and at all stages of life.

The annual Florida Respect Life Conference is scheduled for October 23-24, 2015. The event theme, Every Life is Worth Living, keeps with Church teaching that all human life has dignity and is to be protected.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled in Glossip v. Gross that the drug protocol used for executions by lethal injection in Oklahoma does not violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The methods reviewed by SCOTUS are virtually identical to Florida's three-drug lethal injection process.

Tallahassee – The Florida Catholic Conference urges Governor Scott to commute the sentence of Johnny Kormondy, scheduled for execution on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 6:00 p.m., to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mr. Kormondy deserves severe punishment for the 1993 murder of Gary McAdams and the brutal crimes against his wife, Cecilia McAdams. However, imposing a sentence of death as a consequence of killing perpetuates a cycle of violence.