Democrat’s move prevents these people from executions under future governors, after Christa Pike’s failed execution

Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, has commuted the death sentences of more than 500 people on the state’s death row on Thursday, a move that ensures they can never be executed under future administrations.

The Democrat’s mass commutation at the end of his term has converted all of the state’s death sentences to life without the possibility of parole, the largest clearing of any US death row in modern history.

The move comes after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee sparked global outrage and renewed calls for a nationwide pause on capital punishment.

  • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I’m onboard with this. I’m not necessarily opposed to the death penalty, but our society has demonstrated again and again we are not applying this, the ultimate punishment, equally to everyone across our society. There are large class and race issues that appear to subject some groups to much greater death penalty judgments than other groups.

    Unequal justice is injustice. Ban the death penalty.

    • stoy@lemmy.zip
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      1 day ago

      I’m not necessarily opposed to the death penalty

      Everyone should be, for a very simple reason.

      It is permanent, there is no way to recover from it once completed.

      • Ooops@feddit.org
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        22 hours ago

        So I’m still for the death penalty on principle. In a perfect world…

        Yet I need to compromise as having no death penalty is to prefered over the possibilty of having people wrongly executed.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        I find it interesting that I start with my post about saying I support the banning the death penalty, and I close with the post with my support for banning the death penalty. Yet multiple people are clipping out both of those agreements to focus on the an intermediate disagreement.

        We arrive at the same conclusion to ban the death penalty, but you don’t like the first reason why I want it banned. Why fight a battle that is already won?

    • wjrii@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I’ll try to say something a little more precise, I hope. I have limited sympthy for the individual fate of somebody who does some of the things that can get a person executed, but the death penalty itself is not a good thing.

      I just don’t see the value in revenge, and as much as we all feel for victims, the reason you have society make these decisions is because you know victims and their families can’t be objective. Maybe some of them will even really feel better, but the rest of us won’t. The death penalty can only go wrong, either by being inequitably applied or literally dooming the wrong person to die with no way to salvage what’s left of their lives if you learn of the mistake later. Or hell, with recent attempts, it can just literally go wrong and torture someone, maybe even without even killing them.

      Permanent removal from free society is more than sufficient for public safety and deterrence. More blood doesn’t bring anyone’s loved ones back; it just makes a community that much more grim for indulging its worst instincts.

      • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        I’m not going to argue with you on the why to ban the death penalty. We both agree it should be banned. Honestly the reasons we arrive at the same answer are immaterial.

    • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      If you are not opposed to the death penalty you are not civilized, and you are OK with principles that are contrary to democracy.

        • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          You wrote:

          I’m not necessarily opposed to the death penalty

          Didn’t read beyond that, because saying that, it’s unlikely you have anything valuable to say.

          • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            Didn’t read beyond that, it’s unlikely you have anything valuable to say.

            Wow. Its not often someone tells on themselves so clearly, but I appreciate that you did. I know exactly how much concern to give your posts now and in the future!