Calif. Governor To Place Indefinite Moratorium On Death Penalty: It’s ‘Inconsistent With Our Bedrock Values’
“I do not believe that a civilized society can claim to be a leader in the world as long as its government continues to sanction the premeditated and discriminatory execution of its people,” Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to say. Newsom also cited cost and racial disparities as reasons for his decision.
The Washington Post:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom To Impose Moratorium On Death Penalty
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday will impose an indefinite moratorium on carrying out the death penalty, arguing that the cost, finality and racial imbalance among death-row inmates make the punishment immoral and a public policy “failure,” according to planned remarks released by his office. Newsom will suspend the practice through an executive order that will give a reprieve from execution — though not release — to California’s 737 death row inmates, about a quarter of the nation’s population awaiting capital punishment. The order will also annul California’s lethal injection protocol and close the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison, where the state’s most notorious criminals have been put to death. (Wilson and Berman, 3/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Gov. Gavin Newsom To Block California Death Row Executions, Close San Quentin Execution Chamber
The order will prevent the state from putting prisoners to death by granting temporary reprieves to all 737 condemned inmates on California’s death row, the largest in the nation. It will immediately close the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison and scuttle the state’s ongoing efforts to devise a constitutional method for lethal injection. No inmate will be released and no sentence or conviction will be altered, the order says. (Willon, 3/12)
Politico:
Newsom To Sign Moratorium On Executions In California
California has the largest number of condemned prisoners in the nation, representing one out of every four Death Row inmates in the United States. “I do not believe that a civilized society can claim to be a leader in the world as long as its government continues to sanction the premeditated and discriminatory execution of its people,’’ Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement released late Tuesday. “In short, the death penalty is inconsistent with our bedrock values and strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Californian.” (Marinucci, 3/12)
