Serious Mental Illness as Bar to Execution Passes Senate Committee

On March 30, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee unanimously passed SB 1156 (Brandes), which prohibits individuals with severe mental illness that significantly diminished their moral culpability at the time of the offense from being sentenced to death. These individuals would still be held accountable for their crimes; the severe sentence of life without parole would remain a possible sentence. Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict, and Pope Francis all called on the Church to work for the end to the use of the death penalty. However, as long as the State of Florida maintains the death penalty, we also support incremental improvements in the law that limit its harm. The next committee of reference, Judiciary, is currently not scheduled to meet again. There is no House companion bill.

We thank the FLCAN subscribers who reached out to their House members on the Criminal Justice Committee to urge support of this bill!