Coalition aims to repeal death penalty, save a billion dollars

by Brian Leubitz

For a few months now, Sen. Loni Hancock has been working diligently on moving SB 490 through the legislative process. The bill, which would put a ballot measure on the November ballot, would have asked the voters whether it was time to eliminate the death penalty.  And she was able to get the bill to fly through the Senate on a 39-0 vote. However, the bill stalled at the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and at this point, the odds are looking quite long for anything to actually happen before 2012.

Of course, in California there is always another option: the signature route.  And that is exactly what the California Taxpayers for Justice, a coalition of law enforcement professionals, crime victim advocates, and individuals exonerated from wrongful conviction, has in mind.

When legislation to let California voters decide whether to keep the death penalty got shelved last week, death penalty opponents vowed to launch a ballot initiative anyway. They’re keeping their promise. California Taxpayers for Justice is unveiling the SAFE California Act, which would replace capital punishment with life imprisonment without parole. … Proponents of the initiative say that replacing the death penalty with life behind bars without parole would free up money for local law enforcement, victim compensation and schools. (SacBee)

To be clear, this is hardly some lightweight group here.  The coalition press conference will feature former LA District Attorny Gil Garcetti and former CDCR boss and San Quentin warden Jeanne Woodford discussing the need to end the death penalty.

But, the argument this time will focus as much on cost savings as it will on morality.  While most progressives find the morality argument plenty strong to make the case, the financial side of the debate is nothing to be ignored.  By ending the death penalty, we could save $1 Billion over five years. That is money that can be better spent on education, or home health care, or any number of other priorities that have the long-term benefits that the death penalty, in study after study, has shown to lack.  In other words, the death penalty accomplishes far too little (if anything) in terms of crime prevention, and costs far too much.

But the polling numbers still make this an uphill climb.  As recently as last year, polling showed well over 60% of Californians support the death penalty.  The question now is will the financial argument be strong enough to break through, and will the opponents of the death penalty be able to raise the money to get this measure on the ballot and into a strong campaign.  We’re talking about at least $1-1.5 million to get it on the ballot, and at least another 7-10 for a strong campaign.

So, is now the time? I guess we’ll see.