The Florida Innocence Commission met this week at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando; it was the last meeting for the Florida Innocence Commission since Governor Rick Scott vetoed the bill that would fund the FIC and allow it to continue.
Or read the editorial written by Fred Grimm in the Miami Herald, where he points out that the 14 men facing the death penalty on Florida’s Death Row were cleared as being innocent after DNA testing was done.
The real irony here?
In its last meeting, as part of its final warnings, the Florida Innocence Commission warns that the failure to adequately pay criminal defense fees in indigent defense cases, particularly those where the defendant is facing the death penalty, is one of the key factors in injustice resulting.
That’s right. As Terry Lenamon has been proclaiming for years (and see our book on this subject), the indigent defense payment issue is a real crisis in the country and injustice after injustice is the result.
On June 30, the Florida Innocence Commission shuts its doors. No more funding.
Next week, its final report – that will undoubtedly include proposals for funding reforms – will be released. We’ll include a link once it’s available.