MIAMI (LifeSiteNews) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to see the death penalty expanded for “child rapists.”
The Republican governor announced a series of criminal justice agenda items for 2023, one of which included life in prison and the death penalty for pedophiles.
His proposed agenda includes “[r]equiring convicted child rapists to serve at least life in prison and exploring options to make them eligible for the death penalty,” according to a Jan. 26 news release.
DeSantis also wants to make it easier for the death penalty to be applied to criminals. Currently a unanimous verdict is needed from a jury to recommend the death sentence. This led to to Nikolas Cruz, who shot up a high school in Parkland in 2018, avoiding capital punishment.
“Reforming Florida’s death penalty statute to ensure that those convicted of the most heinous crimes are punished accordingly” is one of the listed agenda items. “Current law requires a unanimous jury recommendation to impose a death sentence. This proposal reduces the number of jurors required for a recommendation of death from unanimity to a supermajority jury recommendation.”
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Gov. DeSantis also wants to increase penalties for sexual offenders “by expanding the list of crimes ineligible for gain time by adding all inchoate offenses (attempted crimes) of sexual misconduct, such as attempted sexual battery.”
“Other states endanger their citizens by making it easier to put criminals back on the street,” DeSantis stated in the media announcement. “Here in Florida, we will to continue to support and enact policies to protect our communities and keep Floridians safe.”
.@RonDeSantisFL calls for death penalty expansion in Florida. pic.twitter.com/cG2nTLyuaG
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) January 30, 2023
“While some states are adopting soft-on-crime policies that increase lawlessness and decrease public safety, in Florida, we strive to strengthen our laws, keep violent criminals behind bars and take proactive steps to keep our communities safe,” Attorney General Ashley Moody stated. “I want to thank Governor DeSantis for always standing up for the rule of law and taking action to fortify public safety measures to ensure we continue to be the best state in the nation to pursue the American dream.”
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DeSantis is considered a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
He has drawn interest from conservatives for his opposition to the sexualization of children, his support for pro-life laws, his willingness to take on woke corporations such as Disney and his advocacy of medical freedom when it comes to COVID-19 jabs and masking.