California
Does my state have the death penalty?
Yes, California has executed a total of 13 people since 1976.
What is my governor's position on the death penalty?
Governor Schwarzenegger (R) supports the death penalty. Regarding the high-profile case of Kevin Cooper, in which the U.S. Supreme court recently upheld the Ninth Circuit's stay, the governor stated: "I am confident that our judicial process will ultimately bring finality to this case. To the survivor and families of the victims in this case, I share your frustration that closure to this chapter of your lives has been delayed."
How many people are on Death Row in my state?
There are currently 648 prisoners on Death Row in California. Of the 648 Death Row prisoners, 233 are black, 251 are white, 130 are Latino, 14 are Native American and 20 are Asian. Of the 648 prisoners on Death Row, 15 of them are women.
In May 2002, California launched its first annual moratorium days, delivering 90,000 petition signatures to Gov. Davis in Sacramento and rallying for a moratorium resolution in the city council in Los Angeles.
Is there anything like the Center on Wrongful Convictions in my state?
The California Innocence Project (CIP) is a program that works out of the Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy of California Western School of Law. Students and lawyers work to seek the release of wrongfully convicted prisoners. (CIP, 225 Cedar Street, San Diego, CA 92101)
The Northern California Innocence Project is a program offered to law students at Santa Clara University and Golden Gate University. Staff and law students work to prove the innocence of convicted prisoners. (For more information email ncip@scu.edu)
Was anyone on Death Row ever found innocent in my state?
Three innocent people were exonerated on Death Row in California. Jerry Bigelow was released in 1988 after serving 8 years, Patrick Croy was released in 1990 after serving 11 years, and Troy Lee Jones was released in 1996 after serving 14 years.
Are there any opportunities for volunteering in my state?
ACLU of Southern California or ACLU of Northern California
The California Moratorium Campaign
California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty (cjafsc@juno.com)
Additional Resources
California State Info at DPIC
California State Info at Equal Justice USA
* Information updated annually. Last updated January 2006. For more information, go to the Death Penalty Information Center.
News
Hometown Snubs Schwarzenegger
December 27, 2005
The NY Times posted this article: For years the quaint Austrian town of Graz trumpeted...
Tookie Williams Was Executed
December 13, 2005
This morning, Tookie Williams was executed. Here is the Governor's statement. Here is a troubling...
8 Days Left For Tookie Williams
December 05, 2005
The New York Times has an interesting op-ed on this case: If Governor Schwarzenegger were...
Bid to Speed Death Penalty Appeals Under Fire
July 28, 2005
Watch out California... The Senate Judiciary Committee will take up legislation today meant to streamline...
Is a Moratorium for California in the Future?
June 15, 2005
Read this article from the San Francisco Chronicle. SACRAMENTO Moratorium sought on death penalty Assembly...
The Dialogue Begins
April 30, 2005
On April 21 The Los Angeles Times published an editorial about California's death penalty. We...
Is California Next?
April 22, 2005
New York's recent decision to kill the death penalty is likely to have an impact...
Bring on the Bishops
March 20, 2005
U.S. Roman Catholic bishops are preparing to begin what they call a major campaign to...
DP for Peterson
March 16, 2005
I didn't really expect otherwise. The California judge in the trial of Scott Peterson said...
Hard Numbers
March 05, 2005
Here's the latest death row data: Numbers of Death Row Inmates: Jan. 1, 2003 -...
US 'Whittling Away at Death Penalty'
March 03, 2005
From the BBC: Legal experts say that the US Supreme Court's decision to prevent youths...
Democracy Now Segment About The Death Penalty
March 02, 2005
Today you can see a segment of Democracy Now with Amy Goodman about the landmark...
Supreme Court Bars Death Penalty for Juvenile Killers
March 01, 2005
In a huge move, The Supreme Court forbid the execution of minors (under 17) at...
Study Finds Innocence Issue Leads to Lower Death Penalty Support
February 22, 2005
Makes sense to me. Three-quarters of Americans believe that an innocent person has been executed...
Governor Aims to Rehabilitate Prison System
February 13, 2005
Who would have thought the Terminator would give bad guys a second chance? Through a...
Bush Calls for Death Penalty Lawyer Training
February 04, 2005
I realize this is a slow response to the State of the Union, (two days...
Court TV Runs 'The Exonerated'
January 23, 2005
Airing: 9 p.m. Thursday, Court TV "At the end of the play, we would sometimes...
California State Executes Donald Beardslee
January 19, 2005
Donald Beardslee, who killed two young Peninsula women in 1981 while on parole from an...
California's Death Penalty Lie
January 17, 2005
An good editorial in today's Los Angeles Times, calling on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to take...
Fixing the California Youth Authority
December 28, 2004
Donna Brorby was relentless in forcing Texas to clean up its prisons. Now the lawyer...
Peterson Trial
December 14, 2004
Peterson's Verdict: The jury in the Scott Peterson case, repelled by his apparent lack of...
Pacadena Editorial
November 27, 2004
As DPIC rightly points out, there have been a growing number of editorials addressing the...
The FBI Uniform Crime Report
November 09, 2004
The FBI recently released it's Uniform Crime Report for 2003. This report is very dense...
DNA Discussion on Talk of the Nation
November 06, 2004
Listen to 30 minutes of an interesting program on Talk of the Nation-Science Friday called,...
"Three Strikes" Law & DNA Propositions for California Voters
October 30, 2004
For people in California, it's not just about Kerry and Bush on Tuesday (it's hard...
California: Highest Number of Death Row Inmates
October 26, 2004
One of the questions Saturday night at the UNAFF film festival, was which three states...
Deadline Screening at UNAFF
October 24, 2004
Last night a crowd of about 125 watched Deadline and then participated in a...
A Coincidence
October 21, 2004
Remember a few weeks ago I posted the Stanford Daily article about Scott Turow’s talk...
Scott Turow gives talk at Stanford University
October 09, 2004
Two nights ago, Scott Turow (one of the subjects in Deadline) gave a talk about...
Dead Man Walking In High Schools and College
September 28, 2004
Tim Robbins has adapted his award-winning film based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean,...
New Generation of Film
September 13, 2004
Here I am in Los Angeles, and i just read that there were screenings and...
News from DPIC
September 03, 2004
DPIC (Death Penalty Information Center) has a new service where you can receive a weekly...
