Newsom called the death penalty “a failure” that “has discriminated against defendants who are mentally ill, black and brown, or can’t afford expensive legal representation.” He also said innocent people have been wrongly convicted and sometimes put to death. More than six in 10 condemned California inmates are minorities, which his office cited as proof of racial disparities in who is sentenced to die. ASSOCIATED PRESS California Gov. “I’ve done what I want to do,” Brown said shortly before leaving office, defending his decision not to endorse death penalty repeal efforts in 2012 and 2016. Seventy-nine condemned California inmates have died of natural causes since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1978.

Source: Huffington Post March 13, 2019 02:48 UTC