PRESS RELEASE FROM
FLORIDIANS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO THE DEATH PENALTY (FADP.org)


February 23, 2006

FADP CONTACT:  Abe Bonowitz:  800-973-6548
AIUSA CONTACT: Mark Elliott:  727-215-9646


26th WRONGLY CONVICTED FLORIDA DEATH ROW INMATE TO BE FREED


Florida death row prisoner John Robert Ballard was acquitted today by a
unanimous decision of the Florida Supreme Court, which ordered his
conviction overturned due to a lack of evidence connecting him to the
crime.  State attorney general Christ's office late this afternoon filed
notice that they will *not* seek a re-hearing in the case.  After serving ALMOST 
three years on death row for a crime he did not commit,
Ballard should be immediately freed and will become the 26th person to
be exonerated and released from Florida's death row since 1972.

"The only thing new in this case is the name of the person who was
wrongly convicted," said Abe Bonowitz, director of Floridians for
Alternatives to the Death Penalty. "The important question is this: How
many of these cases must be exposed before Governor Jeb Bush admits that
the death penalty system in this state is flawed?  Floridians for
Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) again demands an immediate
"time-out" on executions until the public can be guaranteed that
Florida's criminal justice system is both fair and accurate."

FADP reminds the public that the State of Florida will give Mr. Ballard
a paltry $100 in cash when they free him after more than 3 years of
incarceration. In order to assist Mr. Ballard and others like him, FADP
has established an "Exonerated Prisoner Relief Fund." Details are
available at <http://www.fadp.org/relief_fund.html> or by calling
800-973-6548.

TECHNICAL NOTE:  FADP's count is 26 exonerees, however the national
count maintained by the Death Penalty Information Center does not
include William Jent, Ernest Miller, Joe Spaziano and Sonia Jacobs, who
were all released from death row with substantial evidence of their
innocence. Their convictions were overturned and they reluctantly
entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge because of the threat of
possibly receiving another death sentence. In all of these cases, FADP
believes that no responsible jury would find them guilty. For more
information, please see <http://www.fadp.org/pressrel17.html.>