And then there were 123

Yesterday the Death Penalty Information Center announced that John Ballard has become the nation's 123rd wrongly convicted person freed from death row in what we call the "modern" era (since executions were allowed to resume in 1976).

Here's the first two graphs of the DPIC press release:

WASHINGTON, DC – After three years on Florida’s death row, John Ballard has become the nation’s 123rd person freed from death row according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). The Florida Supreme Court unanimously overturned Ballard’s conviction and acquitted him of all charges on Thursday, February 23, concluding that the state did not present enough evidence to convict Ballard and that the trial judge should have dismissed the case immediately. Shortly after the Florida Supreme Court’s decision was announced, the State Attorney General’s office said that it would not challenge the ruling. Ballard was released from Union Correctional Facility on Saturday, February 25.

“This case demonstrates that innocent people still face a significant risk of execution in this country,” said Richard Dieter, Executive Director of DPIC, “For every eight people executed, we find one person on death row who should never have been even convicted.”

If you want to read more about the death penalty and the innocent people who have been convicted and sentenced to die, go here. Meanwhile, as my friend Karl noted last week, Ballard needs financial support, because the state of Florida only gives wrongly convicted people something like $100 upon release. If you scroll down, you can find out how to help.