As a result of the negative views on the current state of the death penalty system in California, a vote between two proposals will take place in November.
The multiple appeals that people on death row apply for leads to an extended process, costing California billions of dollars to keep the 741 inmates in facilities. $150 million is spent yearly for the state’s death penalty system, causing California to receive censure from other states. Because of the many delays, the source of death for the majority of these prisoners is natural causes or suicide rather than the planned lethal injection.
Four years ago when the death penalty was last called into question, people mostly focused on the financial issues revolving around it, but the upcoming vote will center around moral ones as well. Supporters of the death penalty argue that people who commit first-degree murder with premeditation deserve to pay the price, while the opposing side says that it’s wrong to end any life.
“What’s the point of killing people for killing people? You’re doing the same thing as them then,” NHS sophomore Allie Tassiello said.
Two measures that vary greatly will appear on the ballot on November 8th, forcing Californians to consider each proposal’s benefits and drawbacks. Proposition 62 will abolish the death penalty, and replace this capital punishment with life without parole. In order to pay restitution to the victims’ families, prisoners will be required to work while serving their sentence. 60 percent of the inmate’s wages will serve as payment for the victim’s family.
Proposition 66 would allow the death penalty to still exist in California, but will speed up appeals for prisoners on death row, which will decrease the amount of time the process takes. Similar to Proposition 62, this proposal will also increase the amount of money given to the loved ones of victims. Instead of only 60 percent, 70 percent of the inmate’s wages will directly go to the family.
“I only believe in the death penalty, because it might be the only way for the families of victims to feel like they’re getting justice. If someone isn’t willing to get the death penalty, then they shouldn’t be willing to kill someone. They shouldn’t want to do it at all to begin with,” NHS junior Olivia Lewis said.
While the people who are planning to vote for Proposition 62 argue that eliminating the death penalty will save the state $150 million a year, their opponents say that speeding up the process will save more money long-term. Despite this, people against Proposition 66 predict that there won’t be enough lawyers inclined to deal with all of the appeals and trials the hundreds of inmates on death row have.
“I don't support the death penalty. First, our justice system doesn't dispense justice to all citizens. Studies show that there is a racial bias when it comes to the death penalty. Add to the aforementioned criticisms that it is not a deterrent and it is a cruel and unusual punishment and it’s a no brainier for me,” NHS history teacher Larry Saladin said.
A majority of voters prefer the death penalty, but the number of people who disapprove is increasing. During the last vote on the topic in 2012, there was only a four percent difference between the number of votes for abolishing the death penalty and the amount for preserving it. Several states also are discontinuing the use of the capital punishment. Only four years ago did Connecticut prohibit the death penalty. With 28 executions last year, there has been a 70 percent decrease since the peak in 1998.
Many factors contribute to this drastic decline, including the rare, but serious mistakes made during executions. An example of a botched execution was in 2011 when a man facing the death penalty in Oklahoma had to endure unnecessary pain, because it took 40 minutes for him to die from lethal injection. Not only are there death penalties carried out incorrectly, but wrongful convictions and a lack of lethal drugs are also sources of concern. Three people on death row in California are only a miniscule fraction of the 156 exonerated nationwide since 1973. According to the Pew Research Center, 78 percent of Americans supported the death penalty in 1996. Due to the controversy surrounding that capital punishment, the number of people favoring the death penalty has withered, and currently only 56 percent of Americans are supporters.
“If the system were fair for all and everyone was guaranteed a fair trial with equal representation I would think about revisiting my stance but because we are in an imperfect system in which many are unjustly accused, convicted and put to death - the death penalty must be abolished,” Saladin said.
Supporters of Proposition 66 believe that the death penalty is the only form of punishment that serves justice when it comes to first-degree murder. One of the key advocates for this proposal, Kermit Alexander lost his mother, sister, and two nephews 30 years ago. Although this was considered a brutal attack, the family’s killer has been on death row for over two decades.
“Citizens are getting rightly frustrated that we are holding the worst of the worst, people who are evil, on hold indefinitely. The families would like justice, the people want justice, and what we have does not work,” San Bernardino district attorney and promoter of Proposition 66, Mike Ramos said to the New York Times.
Even though the two proposals, Proposition 62 and Proposition 66 differ a lot from each other, they do share two of the same objectives. Each measure’s goal is to end California’s massive spending on the death penalty system and for justice to be served properly.
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