Alvin Ford collection,
- Author:
- Ford, Alvin Bernard, -1991.
- Call Number:
- MSS APAP-159 local
- Abstract:
- The collection primarily contains the court records and research material of Ford's attorney, Laurin A. Wollan, Jr., as well as other members of the Ford defense team who began work on the case in 1981. The legal records include official court proceedings from the initial trial in 1974, appeals, attempts at clemency, and several cases by Ford against the Florida Department of Corrections. Attorney Richard Burr joined Wollan in volunteering to represent Ford just as Ford's first execution approached in 1981 both remained on the Ford case until his death. Ford's attorneys collected many articles, pamphlets, and publications on the subject of the death penalty. The research material in this collection represents many organizations, most of which oppose the death penalty. The collection contains court records from at least six specific trials and many other appeals and motions. The Supreme Court ruling on the Ford case in 1986, that a mentally ill prisoner cannot be executed and the resultant change in Florida and other states' laws concerning the process of identifying mentally ill prisoners, is what makes this collection so valuable.
- Historical Note:
- Alvin Bernard Ford was convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying of a police officer in a failed robbery attempt in Florida on July 21, 1974. Ford entered prison at the age of 20, was sentenced to die by electrocution in two separate criminal proceedings, and remained on death row until he died due to failed health on February 28, 1991 at the age of 37. In December of 1981, as his first date of execution arrived, Ford's mental condition began to decline and worsened when in 1984, he came close to being executed a second time. The Alvin Ford case was so lengthy in part because of the questions that had not been answered adequately until his case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled on June 26, 1986 that the Eighth Amendment prohibits states from inflicting the death penalty upon prisoners who are insane. The U.S. Supreme Court found that Florida's procedures for determining sanity had failed to adequately protect Ford's rights. This decision set an important precedent since, up until this case, there were no clear-cut protections shielding the mentally ill from execution. The ruling took the final decision out of an individual governor's hands, through clemency hearings, and placed it within the court system. At that U.S. Supreme Court case, Ford's sanity was not decided, however, and this led to a trial in 1989 that found Ford competent for execution. The decision by a subsequent appeal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals was never passed down because Ford died in prison on February 2, 1991.
- Physical Description:
- 5.4 cu. ft and 1 videotape
- Access Terms:
- Access to the collection is unrestricted.
- Notes:
- Part of the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy. local
- Subjects:
- Court records Florida, Law offices Records and correspondence, Procedure (Law) Florida, Death row inmates Florida Case studies, Capital punishment Florida Public opinion, Capital punishment Moral and ethical aspects United States, Capital punishment History, Mentally ill prisoners, Mentally ill prisoners Legal status, laws, etc. United States, Mentally ill Psychology, Electrocution, Electrocution United States History, Capital punishment, Capital punishment Moral and ethical aspects, Capital punishment Public opinion, Court records, Death row inmates, Electrocution, Law offices, Mentally ill prisoners, Mentally ill prisoners Legal status, laws, etc, Mentally ill Psychology, and Procedure (Law)
- Genres/Forms:
- Legal documents. aat, Criminal court records. aat, Correspondence. aat, Clippings. aat, Case studies, History, and Records and correspondence
- Names:
- Ford, Alvin Bernard, -1991, Wollan, Laurin A., 1937-, Radelet, Michael L, Wainwright, Louie L, Ford, Alvin Bernard, -1991, Radelet, Michael L, and Wainwright, Louie L
- Corporate Names:
- United States. Supreme Court, Florida. Circuit Court (11th Circuit), Florida. Supreme Court, Florida. Department of Corrections, Florida Clearinghouse on Criminal Justice, Florida. Circuit Court (11th Circuit), Florida Clearinghouse on Criminal Justice, Florida. Department of Corrections, Florida. Supreme Court, and United States. Supreme Court
- Geographic Terms:
- Florida and United States
Access
Rare books do not circulate
These materials must be viewed onsite in the Special Collections Reading Room.
Using the Archives Hours