It’s been a long week for everyone.  The younger Dubose Brothers were given life sentences by another jury last week, and this week all eyes have been upon the men and women setting in a Jacksonville, Florida, courtroom who are hearing evidence as part of Rasheem Dubose’s sentencing phase.

Will Rasheem Dubose be given the death penalty? 

The jury may give their recommendation to the judge as soon as today.  Yesterday, jurors heard testimony about how Rasheem Dubose saved the life of another young girl — the girl’s mother recounted how Rasheem dove into a swimming pool, saving her daughter, who was drowning. 

If you are interested in the death penalty issue, or in the Dubose Brothers’ case in particular, you can follow the events via video feed at The Florida Time Union’s Jacksonville.com.

Florida Capital Resource Center Is Supporting the Dubose Brothers’ Defense Team

The Florida Capital Resource Center, my non-profit organization, has been providing support to the Dubose Brothers defense team.  The costs of defending indigent individuals who are facing the possibility of capital punishment are simply out of control.  This isn’t new to regular readers here, it’s a theme that ribbons through this blog. 

Indigent defense is in severe crisis in this country, and particularly in Florida. 

Recent news on the Casey Anthony motion for financial assistance as an indigent in that death penalty case has shed some light on the need; however, there has not been nearly enough light shed on the lack of support given to the death penalty defense lawyers of folk who cannot afford to pay for legal services. 

It does not look like the Dubose Brothers case will garner much media exposure of the indigent defense financial crisis, either.  The public is simply not aware of the injustice and chaos that exists.  

This needs to change.