On February 27, Governor Ron DeSantis set the date for the execution of James Aren Duckett, who is scheduled to be executed in the state of Florida on March 31. Only one month remains to ask for clemency on his behalf.

James Aren Duckett was born on September 4, 1957, and has been held at FSP (Florida State Prison) since June 30, 1988, following his conviction for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl. Over these 38 years, Jim—as he is called by friends and loved ones—has fought alongside his lawyers to assert his innocence and to highlight the inconsistencies and failures of the justice system in the United States of America and elsewhere; indeed, no perfect justice exists.

Over these 38 years, Jim—as he is known to friends and loved ones—has fought alongside his lawyers to assert his innocence and to highlight the inconsistencies and failures that plague the justice system in the United States and elsewhere; indeed, perfect justice does not exist.

Jim, a police officer with the Mascotte Police Department, was on patrol that night when he came across a small group of kids outside a supermarket and sent them home because it was late. He then continued his patrol. A couple of hours later, he was informed that one of the girls from the group had not returned home. He joined the search for the child, who was found brutally murdered the following morning. About a year later, Jim Duckett was convicted of her murder.

Jim writes: “On June 30, 1988, the judge issued my death sentence. That same day they brought me here to the reception center of the Florida Department of Corrections for the procedures required for my detention. A few hours later I entered Florida State Prison, on death row. They took me to a cell along a corridor, side by side with 16 other men living in as many cells, among another 320 men sentenced to death. I have been here ever since, despite my attempts to prove my innocence. I will never stop fighting! Never!”

The correspondence with Laura Bellotti, which began in 2012 and continues today, reveals Jim’s thoughts, fears, and reflections. His testimony suggests a rejection of the idea that justice can be achieved through the death penalty—for anyone. Jim’s story is told by Laura Bellotti in a book titled The Second Letter, published by Ianieri Edizioni in 2021. Inmates who receive letters consider themselves fortunate. One death row inmate, later freed after being recognized as innocent, recounted: “I received many letters, while some of my companions received none because they had no one outside. So I shared mine with them, as if they were ours.” Laura’s letters broke through a wall of loneliness. Jim did not believe such a correspondence was possible until the second letter arrived… and then all the others.

Together with the Community of Sant’Egidio and all those who have supported James over these years, we appeal for his life to be spared. We ask for clemency for James Aren Duckett while we pray that his life will be saved.