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Many believe the United States judiciary system has a multitude of faults as it fuels an ongoing hatred in the hearts of millions of citizens who reside in the United States.
Florida Senate Bill 386 attempts to address some of that injustice. It is an effort to abolish the death penalty in a Legislature that is overwhelming Republican and pro-death penalty. The bill claims the death penalty is unconstitutional.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, at least 186 Americans have been charged and convicted and sentenced to receive the death penalty and were later exonerated of their convictions.
Finance business administration student at FAMU, Randall Leath Jr, tunes into the reality that one’s credentials don’t provide enough say on another individual’s life.
“Capital punishment has outgrown the times; incarceration/rehabilitation has more of an impact to society. Death shouldn’t be the absolute punishment to anyone because who are you to determine whether a life is allowed to live,” Leath said.
Twenty-seven of 50 states continue to legalize the death penalty as capital punishment. Texas was declared the first state to ensure death by lethal injection in 1982.
Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, along with Missouri, are among the 27 states with the latest execution dating back to 2019.
FAMU health science student Jaqula Brown said she doesn’t support the terms of the death penalty unless extenuating circumstances arise.
“I don’t necessarily think it should be [death penalty] abolished altogether, yet I feel like they toss the death penalty to those that don’t deserve it, especially in the state of Florida,” Brown said. “I think people with certain charges should have the death penalty sentenced to those who commit crimes against children.”
SB 386 says that imposing a death penalty sentence on a mentally incompetent individual is unconstitutional.
Also, convicted drug traffickers should not be sentenced to the death penalty, according to the bill.
TCC student Christiana Ray said she stands firm on the fact that unlawful killings should be dealt with accordingly.
“Individuals who do the crime need to be dealt with. If you kill someone, then it’s only constitutional for the consequences to follow, besides the simple fact that it was self-defense,” Ray said.
The last update on SB 386 was on Jan. 11, when it was formally introduced into the Senate chambers. To remain abreast of the bill in the chambers, refer to https://m.flsenate.gov for more information.