VOTE YES to END the Death Penalty!!!
~Proposition 34~
Proposition 34, or otherwise know as the "Death Penalty Initiative Statute", is on the November 2012 ballot in California.
If it is approved, Proposition 34 will eliminate the death penalty in California and instead replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
If it is approved, Proposition 34 will eliminate the death penalty in California and instead replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
~A Good Cause~
Some of the things that Proposition 34 will do are:
California has over 700 prisoners on death row. If the death penalty is revoked then all of those prisoners sentences will be reduced to life in jail without the possibility of parole. They will also be required to seek jobs within the jail system and their wages will be given to those who are criminally victimized Seven of the 700 however have exhausted all options and so are eligible for execution, and will probably have their sentence carries out through lethal injection unless they request otherwise.
- Repeal the death penalty as maximum punishment for persons found guilty of murder and replace it with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
- Apply retroactively to persons already sentenced to death.
- Require persons found guilty of murder to work while in prison, with their wages to be applied to any victim restitution fines or orders against them.
- Create a $100 million fund to be distributed to law enforcement agencies to help solve more homicide and rape cases.
California has over 700 prisoners on death row. If the death penalty is revoked then all of those prisoners sentences will be reduced to life in jail without the possibility of parole. They will also be required to seek jobs within the jail system and their wages will be given to those who are criminally victimized Seven of the 700 however have exhausted all options and so are eligible for execution, and will probably have their sentence carries out through lethal injection unless they request otherwise.
Some of the other benefits of getting rid of the death penalty are, by repealing the death penalty "we will save the state millions of dollars through layoffs of prosecutors and defense attorneys who handle death penalty cases, as well as savings from not having to maintain the nation's largest death row at San Quentin prison". In the past we know that there has been innocent people convicted of crimes that they didn't commit. In California, three people were released in 2011 who had served over 57 years for crimes that they had been wrongfully of. Nationwide there have been 140 or more people on death row who were wrongfully convicted of a crime.
A final point is the fact that it doesn't really make a lot of sense to show people that killing is wrong by killing people Or when we say that the people who kill other people are evil and then we kill them and say that it's ok. It's a little hypocritical.
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~History of The California Death Penalty~
At present, capital punishment varies from state to state; it is outlawed in some states but used in most others. However, the death penalty under federal law is applicable in every state.
Five methods have historically been used for executions. By hanging, the electric chair, firing squad, and the one used most today, lethal injection. Until slightly before California was admitted into the Union, executions were carried out by firing squad. Upon admission, the state adopted hanging as the method of choice.
Five methods have historically been used for executions. By hanging, the electric chair, firing squad, and the one used most today, lethal injection. Until slightly before California was admitted into the Union, executions were carried out by firing squad. Upon admission, the state adopted hanging as the method of choice.
In 1972 the Supreme Court of California ruled the current death penalty laws unconstitutional so they oversaw the commuted of 107 death sentences. This ruling in turn also saved murderers like Sirhan Sirhan and Charles Manson from execution by the noose.Soon after the ruling the California Constitution was modified under an initiative called Proposition 17 which brought the death penalty back into the state. "The statute was also modified to make the death penalty mandatory for a number of crimes including first degree murder in specific instances, kidnapping where a person dies, train wrecking where a person dies, treason against the state, and assault by a life prisoner if the victim dies within a year."
(cited from wikipedia)
(cited from wikipedia)
~The Noose~
Until about the 1890s, hanging by the noose was the most used method of execution in the United States.
Hanging is still used in Delaware and Washington, but both use lethal injection as an alternative way of execution.
Hanging is still used in Delaware and Washington, but both use lethal injection as an alternative way of execution.
~How It Works~
To prepare for the execution, the prisoner is weighed a day before,and then a rehearsal is done at the gallows with a sandbag that weighs the same as the inmate. This rehearsal is to help determine how far the prisoner would have to fall to ensure a clean death. "If the rope is too long, the inmate could be decapitated, and if it is too short, the strangulation could take as long as 45 minutes. The rope, which should be 3/4-inch to 1 1/4-inch in diameter, must be boiled and stretched to eliminate spring or coiling. The knot should be lubricated with wax or soap "to ensure a smooth sliding action," according to the 1969 U.S. Army manual."
(cited from Wikipedia)
Immediately before the hanging, the inmate's hands and legs are secured to help restrain them if they should try to fight, he or she is sometimes blindfolded with a blindfold or a sack, and the noose is placed around the neck, with the knot in the noose behind the left ear. The execution takes place when a lever is pulled and the prisoner falls through a trap door that they are placed on beforehand. If the people who set up the execution did their homework then the prisoner's weight should cause a rapid fracture-dislocation of the neck. However, instantaneous death rarely occurs.
If the rope has not been properly prepared, the inmate has strong neck muscles, the weight was wrong or the prisoner is very light, if the 'drop' through the trapdoor is too short, or the noose has been wrongly positioned, the execution is not rapid and death results from the prisoner slowly suffocating. If this occurs the face swells up, the tongue sticks out, the eyes pop, and violent movements of the limbs occur.
(cited from Wikipedia)
Immediately before the hanging, the inmate's hands and legs are secured to help restrain them if they should try to fight, he or she is sometimes blindfolded with a blindfold or a sack, and the noose is placed around the neck, with the knot in the noose behind the left ear. The execution takes place when a lever is pulled and the prisoner falls through a trap door that they are placed on beforehand. If the people who set up the execution did their homework then the prisoner's weight should cause a rapid fracture-dislocation of the neck. However, instantaneous death rarely occurs.
If the rope has not been properly prepared, the inmate has strong neck muscles, the weight was wrong or the prisoner is very light, if the 'drop' through the trapdoor is too short, or the noose has been wrongly positioned, the execution is not rapid and death results from the prisoner slowly suffocating. If this occurs the face swells up, the tongue sticks out, the eyes pop, and violent movements of the limbs occur.
"The penal code was modified on February 14, 1872, to state that hangings were to take place inside the confines of the county jail or other private places. The only people allowed to be present were the sheriff of the county, a physician, the District Attorney of the county, who would select at least 12 "reputable citizens." No more than two "ministers of the gospel" and no more than five people selected by the condemned could also be present"
(cited from wikipedia)
(cited from wikipedia)
The last hanging to take place was on January 25, 1996 in Delaware
~The Gas Chamber~
A gas chamber is a method that is used for killing humans or animals with poisonous gas, this method of execution consisted of a sealed chamber into which choking gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous gas used during an execution is hydrogen cyanide, but carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used in the past. Gas chambers were first used in the US to execute prisoners starting in the 1920s.
The first person to be executed in the United States by lethal gas was Gee Jon, on February 8, 1924. When an attempt to pump the poison gas directly into his jail cell didn't work, prison officials decided to improvis which then led to the development of the first makeshift gas chamber that was used to carry out Gee's death sentence. Since the restoration of the death penalty in the US in 1976, eleven executions have taken place in the gas chamber. By the 1980s, reports of prisoners suffering during the gas chamber executions has led to questions about how humane this method of execution is.
After the execution of Robert Harris, a California federal court declared that "execution by lethal gas under the California protocol is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual." By the late 1900s, most states had switched to methods of execution that were considered to be more humane, such as lethal injection. In 1996 California's gas chamber at the San Quentin State Prison was converted into an execution chamber used for lethal injection.
~How It Works~
When executions that take place in gas chambers are conducted in the United States, the general protocol is as follows. "First, the executioner places a quantity of potassium cyanide (KCN) pellets into a compartment directly below the chair in the chamber. The condemned person is then brought into the chamber and strapped into the chair, and the airtight chamber is sealed. At this point the executioner will then pour a quantity of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) down a tube that leads to a small holding tank directly below the compartment containing the cyanide pellets. The curtain is then opened, allowing the witnesses to observe the inside of the chamber. The prison warden then asks the condemned individual if he or she wishes to make a final statement. Following this, the executioner(s) throws a switch/lever to cause the cyanide pellets to drop into the sulfuric acid, initiating a chemical reaction that generates hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gas"
(cited form wikipedia)
(cited form wikipedia)
The poisonous gas is visible to the condemned almost instantly, and as the chamber fills with the gas he/she is advised to take several deep breaths to quickly knock them out in order to prevent any unnecessary suffering. Execution by gas chamber is especially unpleasant for the witnesses that watch the execution because of the physical responses that are exhibited by the condemned during the process of them dying. These responses can be very violent, and can include convulsions and excessive drooling.
After the execution is carried out the chamber is purged of the gas through special scrubbers, and then neutralized with anhydrous ammonia. The guards then wearing oxygen masks will remove the body from the chamber, the prison doctor will then examine the individual to make sure that he or she is dead and then the body will be released to the individual's kin.
One of the problems with the gas chamber is the great danger of dealing with such toxic gasses. Anhydrous ammonia the gas that is used to cleanse the chamber after the cyanide gas has been used for the execution are both very poisonous and must be disposed of with great care.
After the execution is carried out the chamber is purged of the gas through special scrubbers, and then neutralized with anhydrous ammonia. The guards then wearing oxygen masks will remove the body from the chamber, the prison doctor will then examine the individual to make sure that he or she is dead and then the body will be released to the individual's kin.
One of the problems with the gas chamber is the great danger of dealing with such toxic gasses. Anhydrous ammonia the gas that is used to cleanse the chamber after the cyanide gas has been used for the execution are both very poisonous and must be disposed of with great care.
~The Firing Squad~
Execution by firing squad, is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Execution by a firing squad is a fairly old practice. Some reasons for its popular use are that firearms are usually readily available and a gunshot to a vital organ usually kills the individual instantaneously. Before the introduction of firearms, firing squads used bows or crossbows.
"A firing squad is normally made up of a group of several soldiers or law enforcement officers. Usually, all members of the group are instructed to fire at the same time, thus preventing both disruption of the process by a single member and identification of the member who fired the killing shot. The prisoner is typically blindfolded or hooded, as well as restrained, although in some cases prisoners have asked to be allowed to face the firing squad without their eyes covered. Executions can be carried out with the condemned either standing or sitting. There is a tradition in some jurisdictions that such executions are carried out at first light, or at sunrise, which is usually up to half an hour later. This gave rise to the phrase "shot at dawn"."
(cited from wikipedia)
(cited from wikipedia)
Dummy cartridges
In some cases one or multiple members of the designated firing squad may be given a gun that contains a blank cartridge instead of a gun that is housing a live round. No member of the firing squad is told beforehand if he is using live ammunition. This is believed to reinforce the sense of diffusion of responsibility among the firing squad members, making the execution process more reliable. It also allows each member of the firing squad to believe afterward that he did not personally fire a fatal shot--for this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the "conscience round". While an experienced marksman can tell the difference between a blank and a live cartridge based on the recoil (the blank will have lower recoil), there is a psychological incentive to not pay attention and, over time, to remember the recoil as soft. In more recent times, such as in the execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner in Utah in the United States in 2010, a rifleman may be given a "dummy" cartridge containing wax instead of a bullet, which provides a more realistic recoil.
According to Espy and Smylka, it is estimated that 142 men have been judicially shot in the United States and English-speaking predecessor territories since 1608, excluding executions related to the American Civil War. The Civil War saw several hundred firing squad deaths, but reliable numbers are not available.
~Electric Chair~
Execution by electrocution, usually preformed using an electric chair, is an execution method which originated in the United States and happens when the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on their body. This method of execution was created by two men that were employees of Thomas Edison, and has been a method of execution used only in the United States, for several decades. Although the electric chair has become a symbol of the death penalty in the United States the use of this method has declined dramatically due to more favorable and humane methods of execution like lethal injection. Although some states still use the electric chair as a method of execution, it is only used as a secondary option that may be chosen over lethal injection at the request of the condemned.
Harold P. Brown
The idea for an electric chair first developed in 1881, in the state of New York, when a committee was established to determine a new, more humane method of execution that could replace hanging. Alfred P. Southwick, a member of the committee, developed the idea of running an electric current through a condemned man after hearing about how relatively painlessly and quickly a drunk man died after touching exposed power lines. And since Southwick was a dentist and was accustomed to performing procedures on subjects while they sat in chairs, his electrical device appeared in the form of a chair that would restrain the inmate with straps while they were being electrocuted.
Arthur Kennelly
The first electric chair to be produced was invented by two men named Harold P. Brown and Arthur Kennelly. Brown worked as an employee of Thomas Edison, and had been hired for the purpose of researching electrition and developing the electric chair. Kennelly,who was Edison's chief engineer at the West Orange facility, was assigned to work with Brown on the project of developing a new and more humane way to execute prisoners. Since Brown and Kennelly were employees of Edison and Edison promoted a majority of their work, the development of the electric chair is often wrongly credited to Edison himself.
When the idea for his electric chair was solid, Brown intended to use alternating current (AC) that would then be used to shock the condemned person, which at that time was emerging as a potent rival to direct current (DC) even though direct current was further along in commercial development.The final decision that Brown made to use to AC was partly driven by Edison's claim that AC was more lethal than DC.
To help prove the danger of AC electricity and its suitability for its use in the electric chair, Brown and Edison publicly killed many animals with AC for the press in hopes of associating alternating current with electrical death in the midst of the current wars with George Westinghouse. It was at these events that the term "electrocution" was coined. The term "electrocution" originally referred only to electrical execution, and not to accidental electrical deaths. However, since no English word was available for the latter process, the word "electrocution" eventually took over as a description of all circumstances of electrical death with the new rise of commercial electricity. Most of their experiments were conducted at Edison's West Orange, New Jersey, laboratory in 1888. The demonstrations of electrocution apparently had their intended effects, and the committee adopted the AC electric chair in 1889
To help prove the danger of AC electricity and its suitability for its use in the electric chair, Brown and Edison publicly killed many animals with AC for the press in hopes of associating alternating current with electrical death in the midst of the current wars with George Westinghouse. It was at these events that the term "electrocution" was coined. The term "electrocution" originally referred only to electrical execution, and not to accidental electrical deaths. However, since no English word was available for the latter process, the word "electrocution" eventually took over as a description of all circumstances of electrical death with the new rise of commercial electricity. Most of their experiments were conducted at Edison's West Orange, New Jersey, laboratory in 1888. The demonstrations of electrocution apparently had their intended effects, and the committee adopted the AC electric chair in 1889
Historically, once the condemned person was attached to the chair, various cycles (differing in voltage and duration) of alternating current would be passed through the individual's body, in order to cause fatal damage to the internal organs (including the brain). The first jolt of electric current was designed to cause immediate unconsciousness and brain death;the second one was designed to cause fatal damage to the vital organs. Death was frequently caused by electrical over stimulation of the heart.
The first person to be executed by the electric chair was William Kemmler in New York's Auburn Prison on August 6, 1890; the "state electrician" was Edwin F. Davis. The first 17-second passage of current through Kemmler caused unconsciousness, but failed to stop his heart and breathing. The attending physicians, Edward Charles Spitzka and Charles F. Macdonald, came forward to examine Kemmler. After confirming Kemmler was still alive, Spitzka reportedly called out, "Have the current turned on again, quick, no delay." The generator needed time to re-charge, however. In the second attempt, Kemmler was shocked with 2,000 volts. Blood vessels under the skin ruptured and bled, and the areas around the electrodes singed. The entire execution took about eight minutes. George Westinghouse later commented that "they would have done better using an axe," and a witnessing reporter claimed that it was "an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging."
The first woman to be executed in the electric chair was Martha M. Place, executed at Sing Sing Prison on March 20, 1899.
The first woman to be executed in the electric chair was Martha M. Place, executed at Sing Sing Prison on March 20, 1899.
~Introduction of Lethal Injection~
The latest change of method came in January 1993, when the lethal injection was given as a choice for people sentenced to death. David Mason chose to die of lethal gas, because he wanted to suffer for his crimes. This was changed in 1994 to have lethal injection as the default method. The first person executed under these new laws was William Bonin on February 23, 1996. 13 people have been executed since California reinstated the death penalty in 1977, but 56 others have died on death row of other causes, including 14 of suicide since October 25, 2007
~How It Works~
The condemned person is strapped onto a gurney; two "IVs" are inserted, one in each arm. Only one is necessary to carry out the execution; the other is reserved as a backup in the event the primary line fails. A line leading from the IV Line in an adjacent room is attached to the prisoner's IV, and secured so the line does not snap during the injections.
The arm of the condemned person is swabbed with alcohol before the IV is inserted. The needles and equipment used are also sterilized. There have been questions about why these precautions against infection are performed despite the purpose of the injection being death. There are several explanations: IVs are sterilized during manufacture, so using sterile ones is routine medical procedure. Secondly, there is a chance that the prisoner could receive a stay of execution after the IV has been inserted, as happened in the case of James Autry in October 1983 (he was eventually executed on March 14, 1984). Finally, it would be a hazard to prison personnel to use unsterilized equipment.
Following connection of the lines, saline drips are started in both arms. This, too, is standard medical procedure: it must be ascertained that the IV lines are patent, ensuring the chemicals do not mix in the IV lines and occlude the needle, preventing the drugs from reaching the subject. A heart monitor is attached so prison officials can determine when death has occurred.
. The execution of the condemned in most states involves three separate injections (in sequential order):
The arm of the condemned person is swabbed with alcohol before the IV is inserted. The needles and equipment used are also sterilized. There have been questions about why these precautions against infection are performed despite the purpose of the injection being death. There are several explanations: IVs are sterilized during manufacture, so using sterile ones is routine medical procedure. Secondly, there is a chance that the prisoner could receive a stay of execution after the IV has been inserted, as happened in the case of James Autry in October 1983 (he was eventually executed on March 14, 1984). Finally, it would be a hazard to prison personnel to use unsterilized equipment.
Following connection of the lines, saline drips are started in both arms. This, too, is standard medical procedure: it must be ascertained that the IV lines are patent, ensuring the chemicals do not mix in the IV lines and occlude the needle, preventing the drugs from reaching the subject. A heart monitor is attached so prison officials can determine when death has occurred.
. The execution of the condemned in most states involves three separate injections (in sequential order):
- Sodium thiopental or pentobarbital: ultra-short action barbiturate, an anesthetic agent capable of rendering the prisoner unconscious in a few seconds.
- Pancuronium bromide: non-depolarizing muscle relaxant, causes complete, fast and sustained paralysis of the skeletal striated muscles, including the diaphragm and the rest of the respiratory muscles; this would eventually cause death by asphyxiation.
- Potassium chloride: stops the heart, and thus causes death by cardiac arrest.
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The intravenous tubing leads to a room next to the execution chamber, usually separated from the offender by a curtain or wall. Typically a prison employee trained in venipuncture inserts the needle, while a second prison employee orders, prepares and loads the drugs into the lethal injection syringes. Two other staff members take each of the three syringes and secure them into the IVs. After the curtain is opened to allow the witnesses to see inside the chamber, the condemned offender is then permitted to make a final statement. Following this, the warden will signal that the execution may commence, and the executioner(s) (either prison staff or private citizens depending on the jurisdiction) will then manually inject the three drugs in sequence. During the execution, the condemned's cardiac rhythm is monitored. Death is pronounced after cardiac activity stops. Death usually occurs within seven minutes, although the whole procedure can take up to two hours, as was the case with the execution of Christopher Newton on May 24, 2007. According to state law, if a physician's participation in the execution is prohibited for reasons of medical ethics, then the death ruling can be made by the state Medical Examiner's Office. After confirmation that death has occurred, a coroner signs the condemned’s death certificate
~Important Dates~
- 1872
- 1891
- March 3, 1893
- August 27, 1937
- November 21, 1941
- April 8, 1967
- February 18, 1972
- November 7, 1978
- April 21, 1992
- August 27, 1992
- October 4, 1994
- February 23, 1996
- July 14, 1998
- May 4, 1999
- March 27, 2001
- September 23, 2010