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.
That’s just not true. Receiving a death sentence triggers an automatic appeals process because of how often things are gotten wrong. The state can absolutely tie that up. There is also just all the logistics involved that they can also tie up.
I’m absolutely not defending the death penalty. I’m very much against the death penalty. I’m explaining why having a large backlog could be precisely because California is more progressive and deliberately slows things down unlike some other states. Just a hypothetical this could be the reason. California was one of the first states to pass a “three strikes law”, which is another awful sentencing scheme.
OK that’s true, but not many get off, so that can never explain why California has the longest death row.
On that we agree then.
I don’t consider California as progressive in this regard, they may be slightly less extreme that’s all. Sitting on death row is torture, and you could get executed if the next governor is an ass. Also having the death penalty without executing is very likely to make court less uncomfortable giving a death sentence. Meaning California could have a higher rate of verdicts that include the death penalty.
So I reiterate, that even without executing people, the death penalty is against both human rights and democratic principles.