CA Death Penalty Delays Traumatize Families of Victims - Advocacy Group

The state of California’s death penalty system’s long delays force the families of victims to relive traumatic experiences time and again, Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty Advocacy Coordinator Marc Hyden told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) – On Monday, The Los Angeles Times reported that a US appeals court focused on procedural issues that could put at risk a previous district court ruling that declared California’s system of capital punishment was unconstitutional because of "decades-long delays."

"Long delays in their [state of California’s] system and recurring appeals add to the already enormous tab and give nothing but uncertainty to murder victims’ families who are retraumatized with every appeal and news story," Hyden said on Tuesday.

California has spent more than $4 billion on their capital punishment system, Hyden added, and have executed 13 individuals while releasing three from death row who were wrongly convicted.

"I think it’s appropriate for the courts to review California’s death penalty system," Hyden said. "It is marred by mistakes, inefficiency, and long delays."

US District Court Judge Cormac Carney ruled last year that California’s death penalty law is unconstitutional. Carney argued that the system was plagued by delays and uncertainty violating the US constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty is a network of political and social conservatives who question the alignment of capital punishment with conservative values, according to the group’s website.