Ralph Wright Jr. speaks at the 33rd annual Florida Respect Life Conference

Ralph Wright Jr. was an Air Force veteran and a police officer when he was arrested and wrongfully convicted for a crime he did not commit. At that time he didn't really know anything about the death penalty but he quickly began to learn about the death penalty and the appeals process once he was sentenced to death.

Wright spoke at the annual Florida Respect Life Conference about his experience as a police officer, his time on death row as an innocent man, and his opposition to the death penalty.

“I can honestly say after what I went through, I am against the death penalty,” Wright said. “Far too many people look for that closure that is always talked about, but the thing I’ve come to learn is I don’t think that closure exists for anyone, the reason is, and I say this to advocates of the death penalty, the reason is the death penalty’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t do anything but end the penalty. Does food taste better for us after (an execution)? Does the sun shine brighter? Do we sleep better at night? None of that changes for us. But for the executed individual, it’s over.”

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