Dems want to scrap the death penalty in California

The California Democratic Party is calling for abolition of the death penalty, defying conventional political wisdom and raising an issue that its candidate for governor might prefer to avoid.

Democratic leaders have previously passed resolutions opposing capital punishment, but the party says its records indicate it has never enshrined the position in its platform - the formal statement of its principles - until this year.

The platform, approved April 18 at the party's convention in Los Angeles, includes a declaration that Democrats will "replace the death penalty with a term of permanent incarceration, which will serve to protect the public, provide swift and certain justice for victims' families, and save the state an estimated $1 billion over the next five years."

The Democrats' action drew little attention until advocacy groups, who had pressed the party for years to oppose capital punishment, issued a release last week proclaiming victory.

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Source: SFGate, May 20, 2010

Death penalty in California

The law: California's death penalty, adopted by voters in 1978, makes certain categories of "special circumstance" murders punishable by death or life without parole. They include murder during a rape, robbery, burglary, kidnapping or carjacking; multiple murders; murder of a police officer, firefighter, prosecutor or judge; murder of a witness; murder for financial gain; and murder by lying in wait.

Death Row: California has 702 condemned prisoners - 685 men and 17 women - more than any other state.

Status: Executions in California have been on hold since February 2006, when a federal judge blocked the execution of convicted rapist-murderer Michael Morales, pictured, because of problems with the state's lethal injection methods. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel later ruled that the procedures could inflict prolonged and excruciating pain, a violation of the Constitution. Prison officials submitted revised procedures last month to the state for approval before presenting them to Fogel to try to resume executions.

Executions in California:

Thirteen prisoners have been executed, two by gas and 11 by lethal injection, since 1992, when the state resumed executions after a 25-year lapse. The last person executed was Clarence Ray Allen, 76, right, who was put to death Jan. 17, 2006, for ordering three Fresno County murders from prison in 1980 while serving a life term for an earlier murder.