By Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards | PUBLISHED: January 2, 2019 at 5:10 am | UPDATED: January 2, 2019 at 5:10 am It would be fitting if Jerry Brown’s final act as governor was granting clemency to California’s 740 death row inmates, leaving them with a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The bold move is the right thing to do from a moral perspective. Capital punishment is a barbaric act that is unfairly applied and has not been proven to prevent crime any more than than the prospect of life in prison. It also costs California about $90,000 more a year to house death row inmates than it would cost to imprison the worst of the state’s inmates for life. That adds us to about $65 million a year, money that could be used to beef up law enforcement efforts to prevent crime, including homicides. California should have become the first state to abolish the death penalty when it joined the union in 1850. That honor went to Wisconsin … [Read more...] about Editorial: Governor should abolish death penalty as his final act
Should capital punishment be abolished
Malaysia to abolish death penalty in rare move against capital punishment in Asia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's new government said it will abolish the death penalty for all crimes and halt all pending executions, a rare move against capital punishment in Asia that human rights groups hailed Thursday as a major advance. More than 1,200 people are on death row in Malaysia, which mandates hanging as punishment for a wide range of crimes including murder, drug trafficking, treason, kidnapping and acts of terror. Law Minister Liew Vui Keong announced Wednesday that the Cabinet had agreed to abolish the death penalty and that amendments to laws with capital punishment were expected to be presented when Parliament resumes Monday, local media reported. Liew couldn't be reached for immediate comment. Communications Minister Gobind Singh Deo on Thursday confirmed the Cabinet's decision. "This is part of our election pledge and also in line with the move away from capital punishment in the rest of the world," he told The Associated Press. U.S. court delays Tennessee … [Read more...] about Malaysia to abolish death penalty in rare move against capital punishment in Asia
Malaysian government to abolish death penalty
News / World by Press Association 11/10/2018, 11:40 am FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter Malaysia’s new government has announced it will abolish the death penalty for all crimes and halt pending executions. More than 1,200 people are on death row in Malaysia, which mandates hanging as punishment for a wide range of crimes including murder, drug trafficking, treason, kidnapping and acts of terror. Law minister Liew Vui Keong announced that the Cabinet had agreed to abolish the death penalty and amendments to laws with capital punishment were expected to be presented when Parliament resumes on Monday. Communications Minister Gobind Singh Deo said: “This is part of our election pledge and also in line with the move away from capital punishment in the rest of the world.” Amnesty International said the move would be a major advance but urged the government to “completely abolish the death penalty for … [Read more...] about Malaysian government to abolish death penalty
UN official: Palestinian refugee issue can’t be wished away
Josef Federman, Associated Press Updated 1:20 am CDT, Friday, August 24, 2018 In this Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 photo, the head of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Pierre Kraehenbuehl speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Jerusalem. Kraehenbuehl said Thursday that he believes the U.S. slashed his budget early this year to take out its frustration with the Palestinian Authority but warns that the millions of people served by his organization cannot be wished away. less In this Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 photo, the head of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Pierre Kraehenbuehl speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Jerusalem. ... more Photo: Mahmoud Illean, AP FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2014 file photo released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), shows residents of the … [Read more...] about UN official: Palestinian refugee issue can’t be wished away
Opinion: U.S. should follow Pope’s leadership on the death penalty
opinion Anna Arceneaux Published 2:38 p.m. UTC Aug 17, 2018 While waiting to meet with a client on death row recently, I was chatting with a corrections officer who had been working at this state’s notorious maximum-security prison for more than two decades. He told me that he preferred working on death row over the prison’s general population. The death row prisoners, he said, are the easiest ones to manage. They’re rarely serial criminals. They’re not the prison’s troublemakers. For the most part, he said, death row is made up of people who made one horrible, tragic mistake. While it isn’t always that simple, this officer sees that the prisoners he interacts with are people — damaged people, but people who can be punished safely and effectively without the government taking their lives. Pope Francis recognized this earlier this month when he announced that the Catholic Church would no longer defend the death penalty in any … [Read more...] about Opinion: U.S. should follow Pope’s leadership on the death penalty