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Cities for Life Events Promote Opposition to Death Penalty
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.jpg) On November 30, events to recognize International Day of Cities for Life / Cities Against the Death Penalty were held at various locations in our Florida dioceses. This annual, worldwide effort has been spearheaded by the lay Catholic community of Sant'Egidio since 2002. Over 2,000 cities across the globe have declared themselves "Cities for Life" and are committed to the abolition of the death penalty and a more civil form of justice.
 Across Florida, specific activities varied by location and included special Masses, interfaith prayer vigils and a variety of presentations on the death penalty. Speakers included death penalty abolition advocates, family members of murder victims, prison ministers, death row exonerees, FCCB staff, clergy and bishops.
 Florida, which houses the country's second largest death row, was one of only five states in 2016 that imposed more than one death sentence and carried out executions. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, 95 inmates have been executed in Florida. A total of 27 individuals have been exonerated from our state's death row. More information on the status of the death penalty in Florida can be found in the Culture of Life Series brochure, A Catholic Response to Florida's Death Penalty. This brochure is also available in Spanish.
Top (L to R): Fr. Phil Egitto, Our Lady of Lourdes, Daytona Beach; Ingrid Delgado, FCCB; Mark Elliott, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty; and SueZann Bosler, daughter of a murder victim and victim of attempted murder
Middle (L to R): Deacon Ray Aguado, Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee; Fr. Michael Foley, Good Shepherd, Tallahassee; Suzanne Printy; Dale Recinella, Catholic correctional chaplain on death row; Susan Recinella; Pete Cowdrey; and Christine Henderson, Equal Justice USA
Bottom: Deacon Andy and Kate Grosmaire, parents of a murder victim, speaking at St. Cecelia, Clearwater |
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Constitution Revision Commission Considers Two Issues of Great Interest
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The FCCB recently provided public testimony in support of two issues under consideration by committees of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC). The CRC convenes every 20 years to suggest changes to the Florida Constitution. Proposed constitutional amendments approved by the full commission will appear on the November 2018 ballot and will require approval from 60 percent of the electorate.
Florida's Use of the Death Penalty
On November 28, the Judicial Committee held a workshop on capital punishment. The death penalty is "highly costly, highly ineffective, and highly flawed," said Ingrid Delgado, FCCB associate for social concerns/respect life, who spoke before the committee. A recent study in Nebraska found that taxpayers paid $1.5 million dollars more per capital case in comparison to a first degree murder case that pursued life without parole. There is also no significant research that shows that the death penalty deters future crime. And, while there are murder victims' family members that hope the death penalty will provide closure for their great loss, many family members have expressed that the decades of judicial uncertainty exacerbated their grief, and their key to closure was mercy and forgiveness, not state sanctioned homicide.
Prohibition on Funding of Religious Organizations
CRC Proposal 4 by Commissioner Roberto Martinez would remove Blaine amendment language from Florida's Constitution. Found in Article I, Section 3, the Blaine amendment prohibits any public funding in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or any sectarian institution. On November 29, Marco Paredes, FCCB associate director for health, provided testimony on the proposal to the Declaration of Rights Committee.
Removing this language from the state constitution is good public policy for several reasons. First, the proposal ensures equal and rightful participation by faith-based organizations in the public square. Secondly, a recent landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on religious freedom calls state Blaine amendments into question. Finally, the Blaine amendment is problematic for the scores of faith-based organizations in this state that benefit virtually every segment of our society. Hospitals and clinics that provide needed health care services, housing assistance for the disabled and homeless, soup kitchens and food programs for the poor, prison outreach, disaster relief services, and educational scholarships are just a sample of the programs which face an uncertain future by the courts at any time simply because they are offered by faith-based providers. This proposal safeguards these longstanding partnerships between the state and faith-based providers.
The proposal was reported favorable (5-1) by the committee and is expected to be heard by the CRC Education Committee in January 2018. |
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Bill Limits Prosecuting Juvenile Offenders as Adults
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 FCCB staff participated in a press conference on December 5 in support of a juvenile justice proposal. SB 936 by Senator Bobby Powell (D-West Palm Beach) / HB 509 by Rep. Sean Shaw (D-Tampa) modifies the process by which juveniles are transferred to the adult criminal justice system. Florida prosecutes more children as adults than any other state, most of them for non-violent offenses.
Youth who commit crimes should be held accountable for their actions; however, the bishops do not support provisions that treat children as though they are equal to adults. Young people have the capacity to reform and transform their behavior and their lives. The part of the brain that controls impulse and the consideration of future consequences is not fully developed until the early- to mid-twenties.
Miguel Rodriguez, shown above, spoke at the press conference about his experience of being tried as an adult after vandalizing a vacant home with friends when he was 15 years old. While on probation, he was arrested again for missing curfew when he ran late at work. Altogether, he served close to 10 years in adult prison for a non-violent crime he committed as a minor.
"Placing children in adult jails is a sign of failure,
not a solution."
(Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice, November 15, 2000) |
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Florida House Convenes Panel on School Choice Programs
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On December 6, the House Pre-K-12 Innovation Subcommittee convened a special five-member panel of school choice leaders to discuss the current levels of oversight plus academic outcomes achieved by nonpublic school students participating in state scholarship programs. James Herzog, FCCB associate director for education, spoke about the main reasons parents choose Catholic schools along with the importance of accreditation and teacher certification.
The panel discussion was part of a two-hour meeting which included a presentation by Adam Miller, executive director of the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice within the Florida Department of Education. Miller reviewed the numerous existing requirements in the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program for children from low-income families along with the McKay and Gardiner programs for students with special needs. The panelists' ideas for strengthened program accountability ranged from increasing the staff and travel budget for the state's school choice office to having more on-site visits to school operators who are suspected of trying to circumvent state requirements. Read more about the panel on RedefinEDonline.org. |
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Catholic Days at the Capitol: Learn, Advocate, Fellowship and Pray
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Join the bishops of Florida for Catholic Days at the Capitol, January 30-31, 2018, and put your faith into action! You can effect positive change in Florida's laws and strengthen the presence of Catholic values in the public square by joining with Floridians from across the state to advocate for laws that protect and defend human life and dignity. Through participation in this event, you help to give a voice to some of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in our state and further the common good for all Floridians.
Register today. Pre-Registration is required. |
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December 13, 2017
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Words of Wisdom
"Political activity must truly be conducted at the service of the human person, with respect for creation and for the common good."
-- Pope Francis
@Pontifex
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December 10, 2017
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