Standards Changed for Death Penalty in Florida

Florida has enacted a new law that no longer requires a unanimous decision from a jury to inflict the death penalty on a perpetrator. In 2017, laws in Florida changed to require a full 12-0 vote from a jury to carry out capital punishment; on Thursday that all changed.

The first thing that comes to mind is the Parkland school shooter case. About 6 months ago, a grand jury ruled a 9-3 split for the death penalty, allowing the shooter who killed 17 back in 2018 to escape capital punishment. This decision faced huge backlash from communities all over the country, as many thought this case would be a clear-cut unanimous outcome. “If not now, the death penalty, then when?” one student demanded at the time of the ruling.

Governor DeSantis called the verdict, “a miscarriage of justice” and also went on to make comments about the length of time it took prosecutors to reach a verdict.

The new law will require a jury vote of 8-4 in order to sentence the guilty party to death and makes Florida the fourth state in the US that does not require unanimity for capital punishment; joining Alabama, Indiana, and Missouri. As of now, 27 states impose the death penalty.