California votes on repealing the death penalty in November
 

"California voters will decide in November whether to repeal the death penalty in a state that is home to nearly a quarter of the nation's death row inmates, after activists collected the more than 500,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.

The ballot initiative focuses on the high cost of the death penalty in a state that has executed 13 people since capital punishment was reinstated in the nation in 1976. Another 723 inmates sit on death row pending lengthy and expensive appeals."

Death penalty repeal to go before California voters - Yahoo! News

most states in the USA that have had the death penalty have been doing away with the it or at least putting off actual executions over the years

so its no surprise to hear California moving in that direction too


and yes it costs more to execute than to house them for life and that's not even speaking of those who are innocent an astonishing, astonishing number of death row inmates have been proven innocent over the years




lookit the execution rate of states if you're interested http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-execution-rates





whats a bigger issue for california is their 3 strikes law (well for all of america that is) sure california made an amendment to drug possession but their 3strikes law is still a harsher pain than their death penalty... life imprisonment for petty shoplifters..... like come on

And its only going to get worse.

Every politician wants to appear 'tough on crime', so every few years they come up with some kitschy sounding little law and no one wants to be the guy voting against it, so you get 3 strikes law and stand your ground law.

Then, assuming that card has been played recently, but you need an edge to get elected, there are always child molesters and pedophiles. Just come up with some new requirement that they have to be listed on a website, or go around and introduce themselves to neighbors or whatever they have them doing these days and just make them do something more..

"hey...this year, we are going to make them wear t-shirts that say "Ask me about molesting!" and the streets will be safer.

And then quietly, come up with a system where we have private jail operators that profit off crime. Just need a constant flow of raw materials to keep the prison factory working...awesome...we'll become tougher on crime at the same time!

Let's hear it gentlemen...america...fuck yeah!

it doesnt matter. if uve ever watched lockup u know what a joke the death penalty is. the inmates are able to keep appealing and putting it off and most people end up dying of other reasons before even coming close to being executed. and if it really does cost more then whats the point?

I can't wait for construction to begin on the private super prisons Harper is building :fullofwin:

Using inmates as workers for manufacturing things makes money.


Something that sounds pretty appealing when you factor in the cost of execution.


But then again, bullets aren't too expensive... :devil:

Would it then not be in the best interest of those making money off the cheap labour to pressure governments to create broader, tougher laws? This would result in more people being put in prison, increasing their work force. I'm not really a fan of blurring the lines between profit and justice.