ACLU: The Tide is Turning on California's Death Penalty

The Tide is Turning on California's Death Penalty


The ongoing debacle of California’s death penalty took a few dramatic turns last week: a new poll showed a dramatic shift in public opinion in favor of ending the death penalty; Gov. Jerry Brown took a step in the right direction by cutting plans for a new death row; and the Department of Corrections announced that the state’s hold on executions will last at least through this year, if not longer. At the same time, the California Democratic Party pushed even further in their advocacy against the death penalty. All told, it’s got people asking if California is finally ready to “cut” the death penalty.

First thing’s first: the poll. David Binder Research conducted a poll of highly likely California voters and found that a strong majority — 63 percent — support Gov. Brown cutting the death penalty from the budget by converting the 713 existing death sentences to life imprisonment without parole, plus work and restitution for victims’ families. The support cuts across California’s geographic and political spectrums — majorities in all regions and all political affiliations agreed. The simple reason is that cutting the death penalty will save $1 billion in five years, and voters from Eureka to San Diego, whether right, left or moderate, can all figure out better ways to spend those billion dollars.

Last Thursday, Gov. Brown went halfway to fulfilling the voters’ wishes. Well, really it was a little more than a third of the way, since the governor’s decision to scrap the state’s plans for what some legislator’s called a “Cadillac death row” saved California $350 million. Saying that it was “unconscionable” to spend so much money on death row inmates while children and seniors are facing drastic cuts, Gov. Brown decided (just like the rest of us) that there are better ways to use the state’s dwindling dollars than on the death penalty. The only problem is that he didn’t finish the job — now he’s left the existing death row overcrowded and growing.

In fact, the death row construction project survived for so long because it was viewed as the cheapest option to deal with the problems on death row, including the fact that it is full beyond capacity and the facility is falling apart. The state has to do something, and all the other options on the table cost even more money. The only thing that will actually prevent the state paying more money on prison construction is for the governor to convert all death sentences to life imprisonment without parole, a move that would also save hundreds of millions, including reducing housing costs for death-row inmates and legal fees for their representation. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/tide-turning-californias-death-penalty