SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MIGHT NOW BE THE NEW DEEP SOUTH WHEN IT
COMES TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
SLATE WROTE ABOUT THIS.
THEY BROUGHT UP SOME STATISTICS FROM THIS YEAR
THAT INDICATE THAT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS SENTENCED
MORE PEOPLE TO THE DEATH PENALTY THAN THE SOUTHERN STATES.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE STATS.
SO FAR THIS YEAR TEXAS HAS NOT HAD A SINGLE NEW DEATH SENTENCE.
NEITHER HAS GEORGIA, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA,
OR VIRGINIA.
THE DEEP SOUTH HAS MOVED AWAY FROM CAPITAL PUNISHMENT,
RIVERSIDE COUNTY CALIFORNIA, HAS BECOME THE NEW BUCKLE OF A
NEW DEATH BELT.
IT PRODUCED SEVEN NEW DEATH SENTENCES IN THE FIRST HALF
OF THIS YEAR.
THAT IS MORE THAN CALIFORNIA'S OTHER 57
COUNTIES COMBINED, WITHIN ANY OTHER STATE, AND MORE THAN
THE WHOLE DEEP SOUTH COMBINED.
>> HERE'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT SOCAL.
LOS ANGELES IS VERY LIBERAL.
SOMETIMES IF I SEE A MITT ROMNEY BUMPER STICKER OR T-SHIRT, I
WILL THINK IT IS IRONIC.
>>IT'S LIKE A UNICORN.
>>
THAT IS MOST PEOPLE'S IMPRESSION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
BUT OUTSIDE OF L.A. YOU HAVE SOME DEEPLY CONSERVATIVE PLACES,
INCLUDING RIVERSIDE, KERN COUNTY, ORANGE COUNTY, SAN
BERNARDINO, ETC., VERY REPUBLICAN AND CONSERVATIVE.
IN THOSE PLACES THIS IS NOT AT ALL SURPRISING.
>> IT ISN'T.
SOME MIGHT SAY WELL YOU ARE JUST FOCUSING ON THIS YEAR.
NOT TRUE.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY HAS SENTENCED 33 PEOPLE TO DEATH ROW SINCE
2010 WHICH IS MORE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY IN AMERICA.
THAT IS KIND OF INCREDIBLE.
HERE'S ANOTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND, EVEN THOUGH
CALIFORNIA DOES SENTENCE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO THE DEATH
PENALTY, NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE ACTUALLY GO THROUGH WITH
THE DEATH PENALTY, RIGHT?
THEY WILL BE IN THE PRISON SYSTEM FOR DECADES.
SOME PEOPLE DIE IN PRISON.
IF YOU COMBINE THE DEATH SENTENCES OF 57 STATES WITH
AN AGGREGATE POPULATION OF 40 MILLION PEOPLE ñ GEORGIA,
NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, AND VIRGINIA ñ L.A.
STILL HAS MORE DEATH SENTENCES OVER THE SAME TIME PERIOD.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT ARGUE THAT CALIFORNIA HAS A LARGER
POPULATION SO IT IS UNFAIR TO SAY THAT THEY SENTENCE MORE
PEOPLE TO THE DEATH PENALTY.
>> IF YOU KNOW LOS ANGELES COUNTY, IT IS GIGANTIC.
LOS ANGELES IS THE SECOND LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY GOES FOREVER.
IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT IN THAT GIANT POPULATION THERE
WILL BE MORE SENTENCES OF EACH VARIETY.
EVEN SO, YOU TAKE THESE 40 MILLION PEOPLE FROM THOSE
SOUTHERN STATES, AND LOS ANGELES IS STILL KILLING MORE PEOPLE.
THAT PART IS SURPRISING.
LUCKILY, THEY DON'T GO THROUGH WITH IT MOST OF THE TIME,
BUT IT IS AN ENORMOUS WASTE OF TAXPAYER MONEY AND IS NOT
THE RIGHT SOLUTION ANYWAY.
ESPECIALLY GIVEN AS WE HAVE SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WE
HAVE EXONERATED SO MANY PEOPLE ON DEATH ROW THAT AT THIS
POINT YOU WOULD BE CRAZY ñ IT IS DEEPLY IMMORAL TO SAY THAT
YOU WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF THE DEATH PENALTY AT ALL.
NOT BECAUSE IT IS HYPOTHETICALLY WRONG, BUT YOU KNOW FOR A
FACT WE HAVE GOTTEN IT WRONG SO MANY TIMES RECENTLY THAT
SOME PERCENTAGES OF THOSE PEOPLE YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ARE
INNOCENT.
IT'S ONE THING TO KILL A GUILTY PERSON, IT IS ANOTHER TO
KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE.
THE SOUTH SHOULD NOT BE COOL WITH THAT, ORANGE COUNTY
AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES SHOULD NOT BE COOL WITH IT, AND LOS
ANGELES
COUNTY CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T BE COOL WITH IT.
WE HAVE TO GET BETTER THAN THAT.
>>I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS FINAL STATISTIC.
IN
ORDER TO KILL OR EXECUTE THE 748
INMATES THAT ARE ON DEATH ROW, THE STATE WOULD HAVE TO
CONDUCT MORE THAN ONE EXECUTION A WEEK FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS.
THAT IS ACCORDING TO A JUDGE WHO GAVE A STATEMENT ABOUT THIS
ISSUE.
>> CAN YOU IMAGINE?
EVERY WEEK FOR 14 YEARS.