Monday, July 4, 2011

Life on Death Row. What is it like?

So I had a request to find out what life would be like in prison for Casey Marie Anthony if she is convicted and sentenced to life. So I contacted the Orange County Corrections Dept., as well as Jane Velez-Mitchell, and Vinnie Politan.  Here is what I found out:
 If convicted Casey will spend her time waiting for death at Lowell Correctional Institution Annex in Lowell, Fl. 

The oldest state facility for women was opened in April 1956 as Florida C.I., housing all custody levels including death row.  In July 1997 C.A.M.P. Jones was opened as the only "boot camp" styled program for youthful offender females in Florida. It currently also houses female youthful offenders as well as pregnant offenders. Maximum Capacity in this facility is 1, 456.  Total staff on June 2008 was 538. Vocational programs in the jail are as follows: Cosmetology,Drafting Architectural,PC Support Services,Equine Care Technology (Main Unit and Work Camp),Small Gas Engine Service (Main Unit and Work Camp) . Some betterment programs available (for those who are youthful offenders, not Death Row) include but are not limited to: Aerobics, AA, Law Library Program and Parenting.

Now for a Death Row inmate life is as follows:

A Death Row cell is 6 x 9 x 9.5 feet high. Florida State Prison also has Death Watch cells to incarcerate inmates awaiting execution after the Governor signs a death warrant for them. A Death Watch cell is 12 x 7 x 8.5 feet high. 
Casey will be served meals three times a day: at 5:00 am, from 10:30 am to 11:00 am and from 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Food is prepared by prison staff and transported in insulated carts to the cells. She will be allowed plates and spoons to eat her meals. Prior to execution, she may request a last meal. To avoid extravagance, the food to prepare the last meal must cost no more than $40 and must be purchased locally.
Casey's visitors must be approved before visitation is allowed. She will be allowed to shower every other day. Death Row inmates are counted at least once an hour. She will have to wear handcuffs and wear them everywhere except in her cell, the exercise yard and the shower. She will also be in her cell at all times except for medical reasons, exercise, social or legal visits or media interviews. She should be used to this since now she is currently in her cell 23 out of the 24 hours. When a death warrant is signed, she will be put under Death Watch status and will be allowed a legal and social phone call.  In case somebody sends mail to her, she will receive them every day except holidays and weekends. She can smoke, have snacks, a radio and 13" televisions in their cells. This is different from now. She may actually enjoy TV since she does not have one in her current situation.  She will not however have cable television or air-conditioning and will not be allowed to be with any other inmate in a common room.  If she feels religious (IF), she can also watch church services on the TV. There will be no time to be stylish either. Her outfit will consist of an orange t-shirt and blue colored pants worn by regular inmates.
12.68 years is the average length of stay on Death Row prior to execution. 2 women have been executed in Florida since 1971. Judias Goodyear Buenoano ( Sentenced 11/26/1985, executed 3/30/1998) and Aileen C. Wuornos (Blockbuster film MONSTER was based on her. Sentenced 1/31/1992 and executed 10/2/2002).  Currently there are 4 women on Death Row and the 2 most recent were  1.  Margaret A. Allen, sentenced  May 19, 2011 for torturing and killing her housekeeper, Wenda Wright, whom she thought had stolen money from her purse. The jury unanimously voted for the death penalty for her. She also got a life sentence for kidnapping and 2. Ana Marie Cardona,  sentence was vacated on November 22, 2002. She was re-sentenced to death in June 2011 by Circuit Judge Reemberto Diaz in a Miami-Dade courtroom.  She was convicted of the torture murder of her three-year-old son. The boy was nicknamed "Baby Lollipops" because of the tee shirt he was wearing when the police found his beaten body.








 



























































1 comment:

  1. Interesting stuff. I'm currently pen pal with a guy on death row in Ely State prison in Nevada...just getting to know that world....

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