Guide Note

According to a report by the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice released on June 30, 2008, California's death penalty law is "close to collapse," due to a massive backlog of inmates on death row and lengthy delays between a convicted murderer's date of conviction and date of execution.¹

Fast Facts

1. Report claims too many murderers are eligible for death penalty
2. No. of inmates on death row as of June, 2008: 673¹
3. No. of inmates awaiting automatic appeal: 79¹
4. Average wait time for convict on California's death row: 17 years¹
5. California has not executed anyone since 2005¹
6. State reinstated death penalty in 1978¹
7. No. of inmates executed since 1978: 13¹

The report concluded that California could save $100 million per year if it replaced the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison without parole. At present, the report notes that the state spends $138 million per year on maintaining the death penalty.²