Californians for a Moratorium on Executions
73% of Californians in a recent poll favored a moratorium
on executions while the reliability and fairness of the death penalty are
studied.
- Field Poll, June 2000 |
The
reasons for a Moratorium on Executions in California:
Mistakes, Discrimination, Structural Flaws
In
2000, after the 13th person on death row in Illinois was exonerated
and after a series of investigations showed that the Illinois system was
fundamentally flawed, Illinois Republican Governor Ryan ordered a moratorium on
executions in the state.
Human
Rights Watch has joined the Californians for a Moratorium on Executions (CME)
campaign, launched in 2001 by Death Penalty Focus in partnership with 30 other
organizations. Here’s why we joined the
campaign:
- California
has the sixth-highest error rate in capital verdicts in the nation.
- Racial
disparities skew California’s application of the death penalty.
- Death
row is only for the poor in California.
- Deep
structural flaws persist in California’s capital punishment system.
More information
Participate in the Resolution (download PDF)
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Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all
circumstances because of its cruel and inhumane nature. The cornerstone of
human rights is respect for the inherent dignity of all human beings and the
inviolability of the human person. These principles cannot be reconciled with
the death penalty, a form of punishment that is unique in its barbarity and
finality. The intrinsic fallibility of all criminal justice systems assures
that even when full due process of law is respected, innocent people may be
executed.
HRW work on the death penalty in the United
States
