FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
May 16, 2017
For More Information, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Steve Marshall
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Page 1 of 1
Alabama Attorney General
ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL WELCOMES ALABAMA HOUSE
PASSAGE OF FAIR JUSTICE ACT, STREAMLINING DEATH ROW APPEALS
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall thanked the Alabama
House of Representatives for passing the Fair Justice Act (SB187) Tuesday to streamline
Alabama’s decades-long death row appeals process.
“I appreciate Rep. Lynn Greer’s effort in guiding the Fair Justice Act through the
House,” said Attorney General Marshall. “There is no doubt that Alabama’s system for
reviewing capital cases is inefficient and in need of repair. The average death row
inmate appeal time is over 15 years and rising.
“Each year that these appeals drag on, the general public is further removed from
and even desensitized to the horrendous crimes that led to the sentences of every
individual on death row. But, for the families of victims, the pain is not numbed with
the passing of years. The endless appeals process reopens their wounds again and
again.
“The Alabama House deserves much credit for passing the Fair Justice Act to
streamline lengthy death row appeals. This legislation is about justice, and justice
should be fair and swift. The Fair Justice Act takes nothing away from a death row
inmate in terms of the courts reviewing his case, but streamlines the appellate process
so that the direct appeal and the state post-conviction stage occur simultaneously.
“Lawmakers in both the House and Senate should be applauded for working to
find a solution to extended death row appeals which delay justice.”
The Fair Justice Act, which is supported by the Alabama Attorney General’s
Office, also passed the Alabama Senate on April 18, 2017.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.state.al.us
