California Death Penalty Repeal Supporters Cleared To Gather Signatures

By Kyle Buis

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Supporters of a measure to repeal California's death penalty can begin gathering signatures, the state attorney general's office announced on Thursday.

The Justice That Works Act of 2016 aims to repeal the death penalty and would apply retroactively to people already sentenced to death.

The measure cites the high cost of maintaining the death penalty system versus only 13 executions by the state since 1978, and none in nearly 11 years, as well as the fact violent murderers are typically sentenced already without the chance of parole.

The measure comes from Mike Farrell, who played Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt on the long-running TV series M*A*S*H.

A report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office finds the measure could save the state money by removing consideration for the death penalty from trials—a move that can dramatically lengthen trials. However, in the absence of a death penalty, the report says some cases resolved by plea agreements would instead go to trial, offsetting those cost savings.

The report also points to savings by removing the need for death penalty appeals. When it comes to prisons, the report says the state would save on not having separate death row sections.

In all, it estimates the measure could save the state "around $150 million within a few years," give or take tens of millions of dollars depending on its implementation