“Wednesday, March 9, just eight working days after it was known that changes were even being contemplated and without any input from the public or experts and without even a written proposal, the Board of Executive Clemency is poised to take action impacting hundreds of thousands of Floridians, public safety and the state budget.
“Today I wrote the members of the Board asking them to slow this frantic process down, hear from Floridians and independent experts and – most importantly – tell Floridians what changes are being considered.
“Right now this process is happening behind closed doors and is scheduled to come to vote without a single word of public comment. That is opposite of open, thoughtful and transparent government. Even today – just two work days before the date they want to vote – Floridians have no idea what is even going to be proposed.”
“Right now criminal justice experts both in Florida and from around the county are being shut out of this process – to say nothing of the nearly million Floridians and their families who will have to live with these changes.
“There is no reason to rush important and serious changes to the fundamental rights of so many Floridians. The Governor and Cabinet, as the Board of Executive Clemency, need to slow down, engage the public and reject this unseemly haste.”
The letter which was sent to the Board of Executive Clemency is available here:
http://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/2011-03-03-LetterToBEC.pdf
# # #
About the ACLU of Florida
The ACLU of Florida is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For additional information, visit our web site at: www.aclufl.org.
For more information: ACLU of Florida Media Office; 786-363-2737; media@aclufl.org