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TIME ON FLORIDA'S DEATH ROW: A THEORY OF "BENIGN NEGLECT"

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Date Issued:
2008
Abstract/Description:
This thesis attempts to identify and explain what influences the length of time an inmate spends on Florida's death row. A systematic random sample of 33 Florida death row inmates was drawn from the Florida Department of Corrections death row roster and the Florida Commission on Capital Cases inmate roster. Documented for each death row inmate was how long he spent on Florida's death row navigating the various stages and steps in Florida's post-conviction capital punishment process. The data show that petitions to the state trial courts and appeals to the Florida Supreme Court take the longest time in Florida's post-conviction capital punishment process. It also shows a considerable amount of "dead time," which refers to any additional time that an inmate spends on death row with no legal actions pending. A theory of "benign neglect" is proposed as the most likely explanation for the excessive delays.
Title: TIME ON FLORIDA'S DEATH ROW: A THEORY OF "BENIGN NEGLECT".
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Name(s): Willis, Angela, Author
Bohm, Robert, Committee Chair
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2008
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: This thesis attempts to identify and explain what influences the length of time an inmate spends on Florida's death row. A systematic random sample of 33 Florida death row inmates was drawn from the Florida Department of Corrections death row roster and the Florida Commission on Capital Cases inmate roster. Documented for each death row inmate was how long he spent on Florida's death row navigating the various stages and steps in Florida's post-conviction capital punishment process. The data show that petitions to the state trial courts and appeals to the Florida Supreme Court take the longest time in Florida's post-conviction capital punishment process. It also shows a considerable amount of "dead time," which refers to any additional time that an inmate spends on death row with no legal actions pending. A theory of "benign neglect" is proposed as the most likely explanation for the excessive delays.
Identifier: CFE0002328 (IID), ucf:47775 (fedora)
Note(s): 2008-08-01
M.S.
Health and Public Affairs, Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): capital punishment
delay
death row
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002328
Restrictions on Access: public
Host Institution: UCF

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