Three measures by Senator Tom Harman to overhaul the state's absurdly broken system of capital punishment will be considered by the Senate Public Safety Committee next Tuesday, April 20th.
In preparation for the Committee hearing: let's separate the myths from the facts.
MYTH: The Death Penalty Is Too Costly to Maintain.
FACT: The death penalty costs California taxpayers an estimated $137 million per year; an expensive price tag that can be lowered by fixing our protracted appellate system and actually carrying out executions in a timely manner.
Many opponents present, as fact, that the cost of the death penalty is so expensive that we must choose life without parole (LWOP). There is no question that the upfront costs of the death penalty are significantly higher than equivalent LWOP cases. There also appears to be no question that, over time, equivalent LWOP cases are much more expensive than death penalty cases as long as death penalty sentences are carried out efficiently.
To abolish capital punishment altogether would deny justice to victims and ignore the will of Californians who maintain overwhelming support of the death penatly.
The state's temporary budget problems cannot overshadow the importance of its responsibility to convict, incarcerate and punish society's most dangerous and violent criminals. The voters approved capital punishment; continue to support it; and it is the state's responsibility to make sure it works.
California's death penalty system has been broken for years. It is time to fix it. On April 20, 2010 the Senate Committee on Public Safety will have that opportunity. Please visit my website at www.sen.ca.gov/harman for more information on my measures.
