California's capital punishment system is a disaster. It is yet another example of the collateral damage imposed by California's system of ballot initiatives. It is an injustice that only the voters can remedy.

These are just some of the conclusions I reached while completing an extensive research paper (pdf, Creative Commons license) for my seminar in capital punishment law. What I discovered only strengthens my conviction that California's system of ballot initiatives is little more than a tool for political manipulation, which should be abandoned or significantly reformed.

I, personally, am a death penalty abolitionist. I believe that capital punishment is impossible to justly administer, and represents a cruel and unusual punishment that has no place in modern society.

But regardless of one's moral views of the death penalty, it is clear that California's death penalty is in need of significant reform.

First, how is California's capital punishment system a disaster? Keep Reading >>