MEDIA ADVISORY FROM

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

JEB BUSH'S DEATH WARRANT HISTORY: WHAT DOES IT SAY?

The chart also demonstrates that, for a man who blasted his 1994 opposition in the race for Governor for not killing enough, Mr. Bush has killed fewer. (See the list of all those executed in Florida since 1979 at http://www.fadp.org/Florida_executions.html). To be fair, some of Mr. Bush's weak record of actually killing prisoners is in spite of his efforts - not for a lack of trying. Mr. Bush has had to wait while Florida's messy electric chair was sorted out. Mr. Bush has also had to wait while Florida's death penalty laws undergo constitutional scrutiny - first by the US Supreme Court and currently by the Florida Supreme Court.

However, some of Mr. Bush's weak record comes because he has received bad advice. In March, 2001, Bush signed death warrants for two men who ended up not just with stays of execution, but their death sentences were overturned. Gregory Mills and Wayne Tompkins were hardly "at the end of their rope." Three others received stays from courts before being killed on a second date.

Since taking office, Jeb Bush has signed execution warrants for a total of 15 Florida prisoners. Of these:

• Five were suicidal and asked to be killed. Two of the last three Florida executions were of so-called "volunteers." The two warrants just signed last week are both for "volunteers."

• At least five were mentally ill. Thomas Provenzano was psychotic at the time of his execution.

• Two went to their deaths with questions lingering about their actual guilt. A third (http://www.AMOSKING.com) is still trying to prove his case.

Until the Florida Supreme Court rules in the King and Bottoson cases, Florida's death penalty statute is still in question. There is no real difference between the situation now, and the situation back in February when the Governor himself stayed the assisted suicide of "volunteer" Robert Trease. But with his campaign for reelection upon us, Mr. Bush needs to kill some killers to show how "tough on crime" he is. Robert Trease has decided to resume his appeals, but conveniently, several others have "volunteered" to be killed.

Why is it that the only time Governor Bush is willing to help a prisoner is when that prisoner says, "go ahead and kill me?" Since when should a prisoner have *any* say in what happens to him or her? This is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog, and the dog is loving it -- and using it to further his political campaign.

Florida's death penalty system is broken. We lead the nation in wrongful convictions, and the Governor is in denial about the fact that it is time for a "Time-Out" on executions.

See the new chart on the FADP web page at http://www.fadp.org/jebwarrants.html

SENT BY:

Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)
800-973-6548
fadp@fadp.org
www.fadp.org
PMB 335, 2603 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy,
Gainesville, FL 32609

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