Florida has approved a law backed by Governor Ron DeSantis allowing the death penalty for criminals convicted of child sexual abuse in the state. The bipartisan legislation passed with a 34-5 vote on Tuesday, April 18. While the death penalty previously required the agreement of all 12 jurors, the burden has been reduced to a majority of 8 jurors voting in favor of implementing this sentence.
Gov. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill later this week. As it’s written, the law passed by the Florida House of Representatives applies to criminals convicted of abusing a child under the age of 12.
While the move has drawn criticism from those who don’t believe in capital punishment, DeSantis believes it’s the right move. “My view is, you have some of these people that will be serial rapists of six, seven-year-old kids,” he told “Good Morning Orlando” Monday. “I think the death penalty is the only appropriate punishment when you have situations like that.”
Both Democrats and Republicans crossed the aisles to get this bill passed. State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D-Davie) and Senator Jonathan Martin (R – Fort Myers), said that the death penalty is the only thing child sex offenders deserve.
“Once a predator has a child ensnared, they will harm that child over and over and over again. And then move on to another innocent child,” Book said (per NY Post). “Pedophile behavior has been deemed highly repetitive to the point of compulsion.”
However, not all lawmakers support the bill. One of the five who opposed it claimed that while criminals convicted of sexually abusing children should be put away for a very long time, it’s hard to reconcile the death penalty with deep religious beliefs. Not only that, but a 2008 Supreme Court ruling found that the death penalty couldn’t be applied against child sex offenders or anyone who injured or hurt another person if it did not result in death.
