California has the death penalty, but I don't think the state has executed anyone since the '70's. I agree that California should stop the pretense and just do away with the ultimate sanction.
Like I said.... it's nothing but $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The High Cost of the Death Penalty
The death penalty is much more expensive than life without parole because the Constitution requires a long and complex judicial process for capital cases. This process is needed in order to ensure that innocent men and woman are not executed for crimes they did not commit, and even with these protections the risk of executing an innocent person can not be completely eliminated.
If the death penalty was replaced with a sentence of Life Without the Possibility of Parole*, which costs millions less and also ensures that the public is protected while eliminating the risk of an irreversible mistake, the money saved could be spent on programs that actually improve the communities in which we live. The millions of dollars in savings could be spent on: education, roads, police officers and public safety programs, after-school programs, drug and alcohol treatment, child abuse prevention programs, mental health services, and services for crime victims and their families.
*More than 3500 men and women have received this sentence in California since 1978 and NOT ONE has been released, except those few individuals who were able to prove their innocence.
California could save $1 billion over five years by replacing the death penalty with permanent imprisonment.
California taxpayers pay $90,000 more per death row prisoner each year than on prisoners in regular confinement.
California Cost Studies:
Executing the Will of the Voters: A Roadmap to Mend or End the California Legislature's Multi-Billion-Dollar Death Penalty Debacle (2011)
California has spent more than $4 billion on capital punishment since it was reinstated in 1978 (about $308 million for each of the 13 executions carried out)
California spends an additional$184 million on the death penalty per year because of the additional costs of capital trials, enhanced security on death row, and legal representation.
The study’s authors predict that the cost of the death penalty will reach $9 billion by 2030.
http://www.deathpenalty.org/article.php?id=42
