Over the last few weeks, polls were released by several independent organizations that all point to one conclusion: Californians are ready to dump the death penalty.

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and the Field Poll both show California voters' strong preference for life without the possibility of parole...

Troy Davis was executed by the state of Georgia on Wednesday night at 11:08 PM, despite a worldwide movement over 1 million strong that drew attention to the glaring doubts of his guilt. With no physical evidence and a host of witness recantations, all indications are that the state of...

After a day-long hearing Monday in Atlanta, the Georgia State Board of Pardons of Paroles yesterday denied clemency to Troy Anthony Davis, in the face of a million cries of #TooMuchDoubt. Troy is scheduled to be executed Wednesday September 21, at 7...

From its synth-jazz theme song to its cheesy dialogue to the sage counsel of S. Epatha Merkerson, I love Law and Order. But the best part of Law and Order is the satisfying finality that every episode brings. No matter the verdict, Jack McCoy and the...

No one is surprised to learn that California's death penalty is a broken and dysfunctional system. After all, you don't have to go far in California to find any government bureaucracy that's broken or dysfunctional -- it's finding a functional government program that might take a while. The question is:...

I have this thing about myths. I like to know the difference between Reality and, well, Not-Reality. I spend a lot of time on Snopes.com, I avoid Fox News, my grandfather was even one of those guys who went on an expedition looking for Noah's Ark (seriously). So...

New data in a study to be released next week on California's death penalty has revealed that the price tag for death is even higher than we thought: $4 billion since 1978. Put another way, we spend $184 million more per year for death penalty inmates than we...

Before I moved back to my hometown to work for the repeal of California's death penalty, I spent a few years living in Atlanta, Georgia -- home to Coca Cola, Cartoon Network, and a criminal justice system intent on executing...

Imagine you're strolling down the scenic route in downtown Sacramento, wondering "what the hell is California going to do about that whole money thing?" You turn the corner onto J Street, and BAM! The answer is right in front of you: cut the...

Thanks to Illinois, we now have more proof: ending the death penalty saves money - a lot of money - and quickly.

So what is California waiting for?

It's less than a month since Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed the death penalty repeal bill, replacing the death penalty...

California's new governor Jerry Brown confronted the state's dire budget crisis this week when he released his budget proposal. True to his word, the proposal contains hard cuts to social services across the board, ensuring that California's most vulnerable will have an even tougher time staying healthy and making...

California's death penalty has always been a bit of a head-scratcher, but the news over the last two weeks may have the record for furrowed brows and rolled eyes. The legal drama that has unfolded as the state tries to execute Albert Brown has shocked legal experts, but just confused...

Declaring that "justice has been delayed too long," California state and county officials this week rushed into court to request execution dates for the first time in almost five years. To some, it might sound like the government is finally doing what it needs to do to get...

Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer is so broke he breaks into his daughter's piggy bank, only to find it full of IOUs from himself?

On Wednesday, that scene was reenacted in Sacramento, with Gov. Schwarzenegger playing the role of Homer. The governor announced that he would...

Last week, the Economist published an article illustrating a widespread failure of American Christianity. Entitled "Rough Justice" with the subheading "America locks up too many people, some for acts that should not even be criminal," the article detailed the practice of mass incarceration and revealed some startling facts: 1 in...

California's governor has proposed closing the state's $20 billion budget gap with a drastic cuts-only approach; slashing funding for vital human services without working to increase revenue. Yet one state program seems to be immune from these cuts: the death penalty.

We think the time has...