Speaker praises guards, supports electric chair

By LUCY MORGAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 31, 1999

STARKE -- In a whirlwind trip through Florida State Prison on Monday, House Speaker John Thrasher praised the corrections officers who guard Florida's worst criminals, defended the use of the electric chair and promised to try to block any effort to switch to lethal injection.

Thrasher led a delegation of five House members down the halls past death row and X Wing, a notorious solitary confinement area where inmate Frank Valdes was beaten to death in July, and into the small room where the state's newly overhauled electric chair -- used only once -- awaits its next occupant.

Thrasher did express concern over a St. Petersburg Times report Sunday that one in six of the corrections officers who have worked at the prison in 1999 have arrest records.

"If that is accurate, we ought to be taking a look at it," Thrasher said. "I think we have to take a look and see if there is a way to prevent this. We also need to look at the salaries we are paying corrections officers. The more money we pay, the better people we'll be able to hire."

A spokeswoman for Gov. Jeb Bush said he also is concerned about the report and is discussing it with Department of Corrections Secretary Michael Moore.

Moore, during Thrasher's prison visit, said officers who get arrested face the possibility of losing their certification to work at prisons, just like all law enforcement officers. Where the Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Training sets the bar determines whether an officer looses the right to work, Moore added.

For the most part, it was a day of high praise for the officers at the prison.

"I'm very proud of our officers," Moore told reporters. "This situation that caused Valdes' death was an aberration. Ninety-nine point nine percent of our officers are fine, outstanding professionals and carry out their duties. You've got to remember they spend more time with criminals than any other segment of the criminal justice system."

During his trek through the prison, Thrasher stopped to talk to dozens of uniformed officers.

"You've got a lot of people out there who believe in what you are doing," Thrasher told one officer. "We just want to thank you."

Thrasher and representatives Victor Crist, R-Temple Terrace; Joe Arnall, R-Jacksonville; Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, and Allen Trovillion, R-Winter Park, all supported the continued use of the electric chair and joined Thrasher in praising the guards.

The legislators stood just a few feet away from the electric chair as prison warden James Crosby explained how it works and assured Thrasher that it functions efficiently.

Forget about lethal injections, Thrasher said as he urged the Florida Supreme Court to uphold the use of the electric chair. He said he is convinced that Allen Lee "Tiny" Davis died instantly without suffering cruel and unusual punishment.

Lawyers for Thomas H. Provenzano, who is scheduled to die in the electric chair Sept. 14, have asked the Supreme Court to outlaw the chair on the grounds that it is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual. Questions about the chair surfaced last month after Davis suffered a nosebleed while being executed and his chest heaved repeatedly after the current was shut off.

"Without hesitation or question, we believe and support the death penalty," Thrasher said. "If anyone is concerned about cruelty, they should look at the photos of the family. Davis savagely murdered a young mother and her two little girls. That puts a nose bleed into perspective."

Thrasher said he is convinced Davis did not suffer any conscious pain during his execution. If Florida switched to lethal injections, it would only cause renewed appeals that would slow down executions for the 372 people awaiting the death penalty, he said.

Noting that four death row inmates have been at the prison for more than 30 years each, Arnall said it does cost the state more money to handle death cases, but "'economics are not an issue. ... We're offering support for the victims."

Thrasher said he believes Floridians clearly want the death penalty and have approved of the use of the electric chair. Unless the courts overturn the use of the chair, Thrasher said, he does not expect any death penalty legislation to win approval in the coming year.

"If the court finds the electric chair is constitutional, I would oppose anything that would move us away from that," Thrasher said.

Moore, the man who oversees all of Florida's prisons, said the state has no alternate plan for executing death row inmates but does have personnel with experience in lethal injections.

But giving inmates a choice might surprise some Floridians, Moore said.

"The only master electrician I ever saw put to death chose the electric chair in South Carolina, where they have a choice," Moore said.

That was Larry Eugene Bell, killer of two young girls and the suspect in a Florida murder. Bell knew enough about electricity to know it was the best choice, Moore said. He was executed in South Carolina in 1996 when Moore was corrections secretary in that state.

-- Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.

© Copyright 1999 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.