California Gov. Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium in executions three years ago and is now trying to dismantle the largest death row in America by moving all condemned prisoners to other prisons in two years.
The goal is to transform the San Quentin State Prison section into a healing and positive environment. Monday’s announcement by Newsom was an outcome of his opposition to a deeply flawed system that he believes causes my blood to boil.
He stated that the likelihood of you ending up on death row is more dependent on your wealth and your race than it is your guilt or innocence. We talk about justice, and we preach it, but we as a nation don’t practice it at death row.
According to the The California Death Rows, California was the last state to execute a person in 2006. Death Penalty Information Center.California is merging its condemned prisoners into the general prison population. While Illinois and other states have abolished executions in some cases, there is no expectation that any California inmates will face execution in the near future.
Vicky Waters, spokeswoman for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that we are beginning the process of closing death row in order to repurpose and transform current housing units into something innovative and anchored by rehabilitation.
Two years ago, Oregon also transferred its smaller condemned population to inmate housing.
Newsom, a Democrat imposed a moratorium upon executions in 2019 as well as shut down the state execution chamber at San Quentin north of San Francisco. His administration is now turning its back on a 2016 voter-approved initiative that was intended to speed up executions. It capitalized on one provision that allowed death row inmates to be moved.
According to Michael Rushford (president of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation), the administration’s main objective is to mainstream as many condemned murderers as possible. Our goal was to speed up this process.
He also stated that he didn’t think victims were happy with the administrations decision.
Rushford said that they are moving the condemned murderers into facilities that will improve their lives and offer them more amenities while the victims still feel the loss of their loved ones.
Newsom stated that voters approved the move but doubts many people understand the provision.
Newsom stated that they also affirmed the death penalty and a responsibility to move the population on death row out of prison and get them to work.
Newsom is adding salt to victims’ wounds, countered Nina Salarno Crime Victims United of California president. He is a thief to the law.
President of Death Penalty Focus, Mike Farrell, actor and president of Death Penalty Focus said he was thrilled by the idea, but worried about transfers that could make condemned prisoners into targets for other prisoners.
Farrell stated that we were talking about people who have lived in isolation for many decades and are now facing the possibility of execution. It would be a horrible mistake to move them without giving thought to their safety and personal needs.
Corrections officials started a voluntary two-year pilot programAs of Friday, January 2020, 116 of the 673 male prisoners in the state had been moved to one another prison with maximum security facilities. They are also surrounded by lethal electrified fencing.
Waters said that they plan to submit permanent proposals regulations within weeks. This would make the transfers mandatory, and allow for the reuse of all death row housing units.
The Measure on the ballotThe six-year-old pilot program required that condemned inmates participate in prison jobs. 70% of the money went to restitution to their victims. Corrections officials stated this was their goal with the transfers. The pilot program had collected more than $49,000 in restitution by the end of the last year.
Newsom’s budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1 seeks $1.5 millionTo find new uses of the condemned vacant housing.
It also notes that death row and its support activities are located in the same area of facilities used for rehabilitation programs for medium security San Quentin inmates. The money would be used by a consultant to create options for (the space) that will foster healing and provide more opportunities for rehabilitation, education, and health care.
Waters stated that San Quentins’ $853,000 execution chamber was not used and is currently in a separate area of the prison.
California voters voted for the death penalty in 2012, 2016 and 2017. A committee of lawmakers and Newsom, the Committee on Revision of the Penal Code in November recommended repealing the death penalty. Beyond repair.
Under the states transfer program, inmates can be moved to other prisons. Solitary or disciplinary confinementOfficials can decide that they are not safe to be housed together with others. However, they are expected to be interspersed among other inmates. Although death row inmates are typically housed one per cell, transferred inmates may be housed together if it is safe.
Waters stated that there were no safety concerns or major disciplinary problems.
In terms of rehabilitation and employment, inmates sentenced to death row are treated in the same manner as those serving life sentences. According to prison officials this includes maintenance and administrative tasks.
Officials said that condemned inmates are counted frequently and are always supervised during activities.
The department requires that all inmates are thoroughly screened before they can be moved. This includes security levels, medical, psychiatric, and other needs of each inmate, their behavior, safety issues, and notoriety.
Female condemned prisoners are housed at the Central California Womens Facility, Chowchilla. They can transfer to less restrictive housing within a prison. Eight of 21 have done so.