(California) State executions to remain on hold another year

[alp227]

Source: SF Chronicle

Executions in California, halted by court order since 2006 because of questions about the state's lethal injection procedures, will remain on hold until at least late next year, court filings disclosed Thursday.

State prison officials have been trying to revise and win judicial approval for their execution methods since a federal judge blocked the February 2006 execution of Michael Morales, convicted of raping and murdering a Lodi teenager in 1981.

U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled later in 2006 that deficiencies in staff training, supervision and procedures for preparing and administering the lethal chemicals had created an undue risk of a botched execution that would leave the inmate conscious and in agony while dying.

Since then, the state has rewritten its rules, upgraded its training, and built a new execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. Their efforts were set back when state courts ordered them to seek additional public comment on the changes and when the sole U.S. manufacturer of one of the drugs ceased production. That forced California and other states to seek foreign supplies and prompted further questions about quality control.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/04/BA2R1LQE0G.DTL

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Why not do what Illinois did and just eliminate the death penalty completely? And Michigan abandoned DP back in the 19th century.

[dsc]

1. Former Chief Justice Byrd is why

she was a liberal California Supreme Court justice who lost a retention vote largely on the DP issue.

[alp227]

2. that was back in the late 70s after the USSC reinstated the DP

but over the years support for the DP has declined and especially after cases like Troy Davis or Cameron Willingham. Do note that Bird was removed in 1986...8 years after her first confirmation by vote AND after Jerry Brown was re-elected!

[Duct Tape]

3. I agree, it's time

to scrap the death penalty.

[Philosopher King]

4. If they are not going to execute Charles Manson,

why bother with anyone else?

(Oh, I almost forgot, he's white, isn't he?)

[msanthrope]

5. Civics fail. Welcome to DU, newcomer who immediately thinks Manson's execution is a racial issue.

If you don't know what Furman v. Georgia was, you might want to reconsider posting on DP threads.