Monder Law Group - News
Proposition 34: The Death Penalty Remains in California
On November 6th, California voters decided to keep the death penalty in place as a way to punish those convicted of the most egregious offenses. The death penalty question was placed on the ballot as Proposition 34. Proposition 34 was rejected by a margin of 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent.
What is surprising about this recent vote is that recent polling before the election took place showed that Californians were growing concerned over the cost of capital punishment. The Legislative Analyst said that ending the death penalty would save the state $130 million dollars annually. Despite this prediction, California voters decided to keep the death penalty in place.
California has executed 13 convicts. Its death row has grown to 726 inmates since 1978. No executions have taken place since 2006 because of federal and state lawsuits filed by death row inmates.
Proposition 34 would have repealed capital punishment in California. The death sentences of the 726 inmates on death row would have been converted to life sentences without the possibility of parole. If passed, Proposition 34 would have created a $100 million to fund the investigation of unsolved murder and rape cases.
Many influential people who opposed the measure made arguments against its passage. Law enforcement officials and three former governors argued that the inmates on death row would escape justice if Proposition 34 passed and that there were no true cost savings from closing death row.
Presently, Federal and state judges have halted executions in California since 2006 after ordering prison officials to develop new lethal injection procedures.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, CONTACT SAN DIEGO CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY VIK MONDER AT 619.405.0063
