Which Way, L.A.?
Debating the Death Penalty and Three Strikes
Prop 36 on next month's ballot would ease the impact of Three Strikes and You're Out. Prop 34 would repeal the death penalty. Opponents are as passionate as supporters.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenCrime in California is at an historic low. Financial shortages threaten public schools and other vital services. State prisons are so overcrowded that federal courts have ordered inmates to be released. Two measures on next month's ballot are designed to ease the financial burdens on the justice system and resolve moral issues that trouble some people as well. Proposition 36 would ease the impact of Three Strikes and You're Out. Prop 34 would repeal the death penalty. Opponents are as passionate as supporters. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, targeted killings, unmanned drones and militarizing the CIA.
NOTE: You can see all our political coverage, including explainers of all 11 propositions, at KCRW.com/californiaelections
Banner image: Cell in Alcatraz. Photo by Christian Mehlführer
In this episode
3 storiesProp. 36: Changes to the 'Three Strikes' Law
In 1994, Californians cracked down on so-called "career criminals" by passing a law called Three Strikes and You're Out . If a defendant has prior convictions for two "serious" or "violent" crimes, it provides that any third felony conviction will mean a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Read the story14 minProp. 34: The End of the Death Penalty Initiative
After the State Supreme Court had declared California's death penalty unconstitutional, it was reinstated by the voters who passed Proposition 7 in 1978. Since then, 900 people have been sentenced to death, with 14 actually executed. Proposition 34 on next month's ballot would eliminate capital punishment once again.
Read the story12 minTargeted Killings, Drones and the Role of the CIA
Targeted killing of terrorist leaders was controversial when President Bush adopted the practice in the aftermath of September 11. With almost no public discussion, President Obama has expanded the practice, using unmanned drones.
Read the story24 min
