Death Penalty Issue Still Alive

Stewart A. Alexander
2006 Candidate
California Lieutenant Governor
Peace and Freedom Party

The California death penalty has a temporary moratorium as a result of medical professionals refusing to participate in the execution of Michael Morales in February, however the debate on capital punishment is still alive in California and America.

More than 65 percent of all Californians are in favor of a moratorium on executions because many people are concerned that mistakes may victimize a few that are scheduled to be executed.
Opponents of the death penalty states that it is cruel and inhuman punishment, the error rate in capital verdicts remain high and only minorities, Hispanics, Blacks and poor Whites are executed.

Stewart Alexander, Candidate for California Lieutenant Governor, Peace and Freedom Party, says, “The whole criminal justice system needs a major overhaul and we need to start by ending capital punishment; there are flaws in the system from top to bottom.”

During the month of December the state executed Stanley “Tookie” Williams, after spending more than 24 years on death row. The state invested in his rehabilitation and appeals, however all attempts to save his life failed.

Clarence Ray Allen, a 76 year old inmate, was executed in January. Clarence Allen had been on death row for more than two decades and was no longer a threat to society.

The system has made offenders on death row an enormous cost to taxpayers. Special interest groups benefit from state funding for housing death row inmates, the high cost of capital trails, and the heavy cost for appeals.

Death row prisoners have become cash cows for the prison industrial complex and the criminal justice system. Taxpayers will pay an average of $200 to over $275 million on prison cost and judicial expenses per prisoner on death row. There are presently over 650 inmates on California’s death row.

Alexander says, “Killing prisoners is big business and big money, and capital punishment appears to be a crime against the state. The system has become a legal means to embezzle billions from taxpayers to benefit special interest groups.

The Peace and Freedom Party has many statewide and congressional candidates running for public office in the 2006 elections. The Party, and all the PFP candidates, are strong opponents to capital punishment, and support reforming our prison system and criminal justice system.

Stewart Alexander says, “The debate on the death penalty is very much alive and has shifted to two fronts, ending capital murder and investigating the crimes of our criminal justice system.

For more information search the web for Stewart A. Alexander, Candidate for California Lieutenant Governor.
www.salt-g.com