Voters to Decide On Death Penalty

What do you think of the death penalty? On Wednesday, the California Secretary of State announced the SAFE California Act, eradicating the death penalty in favor of a life without parole sentence as the maximum punishment for murder, will be placed on the November 2012 ballot.

“In November, voters will have the first opportunity ever to decide between the death penalty and a sentence of life in prison with absolutely no chance of parole,” said Jeanne Woodford, a former warden at San Quentin state prison, in a statement. The official proponent of the SAFE California Act, Woodford said the act will save California money--citing $4 billion spent on 13 executions—at a time when vital services, such as education, are suffering under budget cuts.

“I oversaw four executions at San Quentin. I can tell you as a law enforcement officer with 34 years of experience, those executions did not make any of us safer,” Woodford said. “What they did was consume millions of dollars in resources that would be better spent on solving crime.”

What do you think of eliminating the death sentence? Would you feel less safe? Safer? How will you vote? Let us know in the comments below and by taking our poll.

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