“JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES”

“JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES”

Coalition Promises to Fix Death Penalty Process in Future Ballot Initiative

“On behalf of the families of crime victims everywhere, we thank the voters  of California for rejecting Prop 34 and standing up for those who no longer have a voice,” said McGregor Scott, former United States Attorney and Co-Chair for No on Prop 34. “Even though the ACLU and other out-of-state special interests outspent us by a 25-1 margin, justice prevailed. They spent millions trying to deceive voters with unsubstantiated claims and were soundly rejected. The people of California sent a clear message that the death penalty should still be implemented for those who commit the most heinous and unthinkable crimes.  This victory would not have been possible without the generous support of the Peace Officers Research Association of California and other law enforcement organizations, and we thank them for standing with us to defeat 34.”

“There are fourteen convicted murderers on death row who have exhausted all of their appeals after being found guilty of their horrific crimes,” added Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully, also a No on 34 Co-Chair. “On behalf of California’s district attorneys, sheriffs, police chiefs, over 100,000 rank-and-file police officers and the families of crime victims everywhere, we call on Governor Brown and Attorney General Harris to uphold the will of the people.  They must work with the California Supreme Court to implement changes that will expedite the death penalty in a timely manner. Those include adopting an improved execution method already used in multiple other states.  The Governor and Attorney General promised voters two years ago that they would uphold the death penalty. They need to keep that promise; there is no longer any reason to delay the execution of these fourteen vicious and violent murderers.”

“Now that the people have re-affirmed their support for the death penalty, we are committed to coming back to the voters with a reform proposition to streamline and expedite the death penalty in California,” Scott added. “The problems with delay and expense of California’s death penalty are entirely fixable. Other states have corrected the same problems, and it is now time for California to do the same. If the Legislature continues to abandon its responsibility by refusing to implement common-sense reforms then we will put our full support behind a ballot initiative to get the job done in 2014.”