California has more prisoners sentenced to death than any other state in the country, though the state hasn’t executed an inmate in more than a decade because of legal challenges. Voters will see two capital punishment propositions on November’s state ballot: Proposition 62 would repeal the death penalty and replace it with life without parole. Proposition 66 would speed up the execution process by setting court deadlines, limiting some appeals and requiring more lawyers to take death penalty cases. We’ll discuss the rival propositions.
California Props 62 and 66 Let Voters Abolish or Reform the Death Penalty
California has more prisoners sentenced to death than any other state in the country, due in part to legal challenges to the lethal injection process. The fate of the 750 prisoners on death row is in the hands of voters who will see two capital punishment propositions on November's ballot: Proposition 62 would repeal the death penalty and replace it with life without parole. Proposition 66 would reform the execution process by setting court deadlines, limiting some appeals and requiring more lawyers to take death penalty cases. We'll find out details about both propositions and hear where each stands going into the election season.
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The lethal injection chamber at San Quentin State Prison. (Photo: Scott Shafer/KQED)
Guests:
Steve Wagstaffe, district attorney, San Mateo County
Ellen Kreitzberg, professor of law, Santa Clara University School of Law; director, Death Penalty College
Scott Shafer , senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk