Posted on 04/24/2012 11:38:44 PM PDT by Olog-hai
California is to hold a referendum on whether to abolish the death penalty and spare the lives of 723 death row inmates, nearly one quarter of all those facing execution in America.
The vote will take place alongside political elections in November after more than 500,000 people in the state signed a petition asking for the issue to be added to the ballot.
California is the state with the highest number of prisoners awaiting execution, and its San Quentin prison houses the largest death row facility in the US.
Under the proposal being voted on, those currently sentenced to death would have their terms commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. They would have to get jobs in jail with their wages going to victims.
It would make California the 18th state not to have capital punishment. …
The issue will be fiercely debated in California where a poll last year put support for the death penalty in serious cases at 68 percent.
However, the state has not put anyone to death since 2006 when a judge halted executions until a new death chamber was built and lethal injection procedures improved.
Since 1976 the state has executed a total of 13 people. In the same time Texas carried out 481 executions.
Supporters of repealing the death penalty are arguing their case primarily on cost grounds. They claim it would save the state tens of millions of dollars a year that is spent on maintaining death row and paying for lawyers involved in decade long appeals.
The measure is being sponsored by Jeanne Woodford, the former warden of San Quentin who is now an anti-death penalty advocate. …
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
This has about as much chance of passing as I do of becoming the Pope.
And I’m not even catholic.
Hope this lost cause soaks up a lot of Leftist dollars.
************* and let God sort ‘em out. When was the last time California executed a killer? Must be years ago.
At least 70% of California voters will reject this retarded initiative.
Liberals are such imbeciles.
Does it matter either way this vote goes? Cali has a moratorium on this anyway. What is to stop Brown or the courts from imposing one anyway if it passes like before? The other issue is that even when it was operational, the state didn’t use it. 13 kills since it was reinstated in the 70’s and 400+ waiting for the needle in San Quentin. I bet more die of natural causes on death row than killed by the state.
Yeah, this will fix things in California......
How about a referendum where we allow these killers to live in liberals homes without any restrictions? Libtards love criminals and terrorists anyways. Maybe they will show us evil conservatives how it’s done ;)
How many REALLY are in danger of being executed? How many executions has California carried out in the last 10 years? Death penalty doesn't work when you don't actually execute the perps. Hello.
How about a referendum on whether Leftist initiatives should ever be allowed on the ballot again. Now there’s an initiative I could get behind.
The sad thing about the initiative process, is that no matter how many times the Leftists are defeated on matters of importance, they still come back and try the same insane thing again.
We vote to end state expenditures for services for illegals. We defeat it. It’s struck down by the 9th Circuit, and we are basically defeated.
We vote to prevent homosexual marriage. We defeat it. That’s struck down too.
We vote to keep the death penalty. We win. The courts put it on hold, and another ballot initiative pops up to make it the will of the people.
Honest to God, nobody but nobody speaks for Conservatives these days. And Frankly, the public agrees with us on a good many issues.
California has the death penalty in prison. It’s called natural causes.
California’s Death Row is probably the safest place in the world. Nobody dies there except from old age.
Oh sure, abolish the death penalty and then ship all 723 inmates to the new ‘Charlie Manson Dorm’ and tell Charlie “hey you freakazoid? All 723 of these new fellow inmates of yours just so happen to be distant relatives of Sharon Tate, imagine that?
Then let nature take it’s course.
The twisted mind of liberals. Abolish the death penalty for adult, convicted criminals while aggresively promoting the abortion of the totally innocent.
California’s death row is the safest place on earth and the most dangerous is still the area between Chuck U. Schumer and a microphone.
Makes no difference... has anyone died in the last 30 years???
Mend it, don’t end it.
Tookie, the 'gangsta' cause celebre, a few years back.
Abolishing incarceration would save even more.
Just send a letter reprimanding the perp!
Of course the letter should be phrased in a way that the perp’s self-esteem isn’t injured.
A justice system without a death penalty is an expensive charade.
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