(Go to FCL Homepage)-(Go to Bill Status)
FCL delivered the following letter to the author of AB 589 on April 8, 1999:
*******************************************April 8, 1999
Bob Margett
Member of the Assembly
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA
Re: Assembly Bill 589 (Margett) Opposition
Dear Assembly Member Margett:
The Friends Committee on Legislation opposes Assembly Bill 589, which enlarges the State's power to impose the death penalty in response to murders involving victims who are peace officers at certain state hospitals. While we appreciate the work which these officers do, the proposed change in the law is in our view inappropriate. It is our view that all state killing is wrong, and we also urge that there are a number of purely practical reasons to reduce, rather than increase, options for the use of capital punishment:
The inordinate cost of capital prosecutions and appeals, together with the burdens that such cases place on the courts, when compared to their very doubtful benefits to survivors and to society as a whole, certainly suggest that it would be imprudent to expand the law at the present time. It is only a symptom of the problem that courts have difficulty finding competent lawyers to take on appeals in these cases. Lawyers are closest to the workings of the judicial system. They know that the best of human systems are flawed, and that courts can easily make serious mistakes. The American Bar Association has called for a moratorium on executions in view of the inequities that accompany processing of death cases from beginning to end.
We think capital punishment also tends to brutalize society, and to reduce respect for human life. It has been frequently noted that an execution brings no real closure to the survivors of the murder victim. In fact, the lengthy proceedings which are necessarily connected with a capital case may have the effect of delaying the recovery process for members of the victim's family. There is no credible evidence that capital punishment is more effective than a lengthy prison term in deterring murder.
For the foregoing reasons we oppose AB 589.
Yours very truly,
STEVE BIRDLEBOUGH
cc: Mike Honda, Chair, Assembly Public Safety Committee
THE FCL IS A QUAKER-SPONSORED LEGISLATIVE ACTION GROUP
************************
(Go to FCL Homepage)-(Go to Bill Status)
This page was last updated Jan. 2, 2000
Friends Committee on Legislation
926 J Street#707
Sacramento,CA 95814-2707
(916)443-3734
This page is supported by Peacetree.