Prop 34 Offers End to Death Penalty
On Election Day, Californians have the chance to vote on 11 propositions. One in particular is inciting a lot of debate.
Proposition 34 will repeal the death penalty and make the ultimate punishment life in prison without possibility of parole. It will be effective immediately for all inmates.
USC Clinical Law Professor Michael Brennan worked as a criminal defense lawyer and said that the chance of charging the wrong person is too high to risk it.
"Some people who have been executed were probably innocent," he said. "Unfortunately it's the type of penalty that just can't be reversed."
However, he explained money is a big factor as well. He said it is more expensive to charge, convict and execute someone than it is to give them a life sentence.
Michele Hinisee, the special operations assistant at the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, promotes the DA's opposition to Prop 34.
"It's difficult to estimate true costs, and it does cost more," she explained. "But not nearly as much as the proposition 34 supporters would have you believe".
According to a USC Dornsife and Los Angeles Times poll, 38 per cent of voters would vote yes on Prop 34, and 51 per cent would vote no. 11 per cent are undecided.
Hinisee said that this makes sense because the state of California has such a high murder rate.
USC student Alli Holt explained why she is against the death penalty. Her uncle murdered her grandpa.
"My dad had just lost his dad, he didn't want to lose his brother no matter how off the deep end he had gone," she said. "Even though that one person did something so horrible, I think that for their family, they shouldn't have to be punished like that too and have to lose a family member like I did."
If Holt and other proponents of Prop 34 have their way, November 6th will bring a reprieve for hundreds of inmates facing prosecution.
I love how you in the anti-death penalty crowd love to spout off how "expensive" it is when you tree-huggers are the same ones putting up all the road blocks in the appeal process to the DP. This is not about the cos and you know it! This is about the fact that you liberal loons just plain don't like the DP. Therefore, you use the guise of cost cutting and lies to TRY and get your way. You care more about the murders than the innocent victims like Polly Klass and so on. IF you were to get your way, as soon as you did, your agenda would then be to get rid of LWOP. Saw it on some looney leftist blog. Their man goal is to get rid of LWOP, and the DP is just a start. They got rid of LWOP for juvenile offenders who were sentenced fairly and the familes though their loved ones murderers would never get out!! So what is to stop you from trying to get rid of LWOP for adult offenders??!! Ya that's right, nothing! Bunch of liars you all are. I don't trust you or the Sister Helen Prejann crowd anymore than I do someone trying to sell me the Golden Gate Bridge. I will be voting NO on this one. I hope if they ever let the monsters on DR out that you all feel sooooooooo sorry for, I hope they move next door to all of you and come after you and your loved ones. See how you like that.