Executions in California are carried out at the San Quentin State Prison. The gas chamber once used for the purpose of capital punishment has since been converted to an execution chamber by lethal injection. A chair once sat where the restraining table is now located.

Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in the U.S. state of California. The first recorded execution in the area that is now California was on April 11, 1778 when four Native Americans were shot in San Diego County for conspiracy to commit murder. These were the first of 709 executions before the Furman v. Georgia decision of the United States Supreme Court. Since 1976, 13 people have been executed by the state. As of December 13, 2005 there are 647 people on "Death Row". Image File history File links Gaschamber. ... Lethal injection involves injecting a person with fatal doses of drugs to cause death. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... Look up Punishment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties Libertarian Party State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... Official language(s) English Capital  Sacramento Largest city  Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more natural persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement. ... Holding The arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest judicial body in the... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For information about the Record company see Death Row Records For information about the computer game see Deathrow (game) Death Row is a term which refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. ...

History

Four methods have been used historically for executions. Up until just before California was admitted into the Union, executions were carried by firing squad. Then in 1849, hanging was adopted as the method of choice (except for two Native Americans shot in December 1851 and January 1852). The Executions of the Third of May by Francisco Goya Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in times of war. ...

The penal code was modified on February 14, 1872 to state that hangings were to take place inside the confines of the county jail or other private places. The only people allowed to be present were the sheriff of the county, a physician, the District Attorney of the county, who would select at least 12 "reputable citizens". No more than two "ministers of the gospel" and no more than five people selected by the condemned could also be present. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Look up Sheriff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ...

Executions were moved to the state level in 1891 when the law was modified so that hangings would take place in at one of the State Prisons — San Quentin State Prison and Folsom State Prison. According to the California Department of Corrections, although there was no law providing which prison was chosen by the trial judge, it was customary for recidivists to be sent to Folsom. Under these new laws, the first execution at San Quentin was Jose Gabriel on March 3, 1893 for murder. The first hanging at Folsom was Han Chin also for murder on December 13, 1895. A total of 215 inmates were hanged at San Quentin and a total of 92 were hanged at Folsom. The sprawling San Quentin prison complex San Quentin up close San Quentin State Prison is located on 432 acres (1. ... Folsom State Prison, sometimes known as Folsom State Prison, Represa, is one of 33 prisons operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). ... The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is responsible for the operation of the California state prison system and parole. ... Recidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

California adopted the gas chamber as its sole method in 1937 (though two more hangings took place for people already sentenced). The first people to die in the San Quentin gas chamber (the only one in the state) were Albert Kessell and Robert Cannon on December 2, 1938. Three more people had their death sentences carried out within a fortnight. Up until 1967, 194 people were executed by lethal gas, including four women. The last person was Aaron Mitchell on April 12, 1967. // For other uses, see Gas chamber (disambiguation). ... Robert Matthew Cannon Robert is an all round good person. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

The Supreme Court of California ruled in People v. Anderson that the current death penalty laws were unconstitutional and oversaw the commutting of 107 death sentences in the state in 1972. This included such people as Sirhan Sirhan and Charles Manson. Following the ruling, the California Constitution was modified. The statute was also modified to make the death penalty mandatory for a number of crimes including first degree murder in specific instances, kidnapping where a person dies, train wrecking where a person dies, treason against the state, and assault by a life prisoner if the victim dies within a year. Justices of the Supreme Court of California (circa May 2005). ... 1972 California Supreme Court decision declaring that the state death penalty law violated the California constitutional prohibition against “cruel or unusual punishment. ... Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (March 19, 1944–) is the convicted assassin of United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The California Constitution is the document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. ...

In a later decision in 1976, the Supreme Court of California again held the death penalty statute was unconstitutional as it did not allow the defendant to enter mitigating evidence. A further 70 prisoners had their sentences commutted following this. The next year, the statute was modified to deal with these issues. Life imprisonment without possibility of parole was also added as a punishment for capital offenses. The last change to the statute was in 1978 after Proposition 7 passed. This gave an automatic appeal to the Supreme Court of California, who would affirm the sentence and conviction.

The latest change of method came in January 1993, when the lethal injection was given as a choice for people sentenced to death. David Mason failed to make a choice and so was the last person executed in the California gas chamber, as the law at the time gave it as the default method. This was changed in 1994 to have lethal injection as the default method. The first person executed under these new laws was William Bonin on 23 February 1996. 13 people have been executed since California reinstated the death penalty in 1977, but 48 others have died on death row of other causes, including 12 of suicide. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

In February of 2006, a de facto moratorium on capital punishment was enforced in California as the state was unable to obtain the services of a licensed medical professional to carry out the execution of Michael Morales. The occurrence came as a result of an injunction made by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which held that an execution could only be carried out by a medical technician legally authorized to administer IV medications, as the lethal injection procedure if wrongfully performed could lead to suffering for the condemned, potentially constituting cruel and unusual punishment. De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... Look up Moratorium in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Michael Morales, 46, is a convicted murderer who will be executed by the State of California at 12:01 a. ... The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: District of Alaska District of Arizona Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California District of Guam District of Hawaii District of Idaho District of Montana... Lethal injection involves injecting a person with fatal doses of drugs to cause death. ... The statement that the government shall not inflict cruel and unusual punishment for crimes is found in the English Bill of Rights signed in 1689 by William of Orange and Queen Mary II who were then the joint rulers of England following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. ...

Current legislation

Method

Under the California Penal Code § 3604:

"The punishment of death shall be inflicted by the administration of a lethal gas or by an intravenous injection of a substance or substances in a lethal quantity sufficient to cause death…"

If the prisoner does not make a decision on the method, then the default is given as lethal injection.

The choice is a moot point, as in October 1994, a United States federal judge ruled that the gas chamber was an unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment, and this was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in February 1996. A United States federal judge is a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution. ... The statement that the government shall not inflict cruel and unusual punishment for crimes is found in the English Bill of Rights signed in 1689 by William of Orange and Queen Mary II who were then the joint rulers of England following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. ... The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: District of Alaska District of Arizona Central District of California Eastern District of California Northern District of California Southern District of California District of Hawaii...

Capital offenses

The penal code provides for a sentence of death in cases of:

• treason, defined as levying war against the state, adhering to its enemies, or giving them aid and comfort.^[1]
• perjury causing execution of an innocent person^[2]
• first-degree murder with special circumstances^[3]
  • for financial gain
  • the defendant had previously been convicted of first or second degree murder
  • multiple murders
  • committed using explosives
  • to avoid arrest or aiding in escaping custody
  • the victim was an on-duty peace officer; federal law enforcement officer or agent; or firefighter
  • the victim was a witness to a crime and the murder was committed to avoid them testifying
  • the victim was a prosecutor or assistant prosecutor; judge or former judge; elected or appointed official; juror; and the murder was in retaliation for the victim's official duties
  • the murder was "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity"
  • the murderer lay in wait for the victim
  • the victim was intentionally killed because of their race, religion, nationality, or country of origin
  • the murder was committed during the commissioning of robbery; kidnapping; rape; sodomy; performance of a lewd or lascivious act upon the person of a child under the age of 14 years; oral copulation; burglary; arson; train wrecking; mayhem; rape by instrument; carjacking; torture; poisoning
  • the defendant is an active member of a criminal street gang and was to further the activities of the gang
  • the murder was committed by discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle
• train wrecking which leads to a person's death.^[4]

Traitor redirects here. ... Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. ... Hitman redirects here. ... Preparing C-4 explosive This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... The Chicago Police Department arrests a man An arrest is the action of the police, or person acting under the law, to take a person into custody so that they may be forthcoming to answer for the commission of a crime. ... In the broad sense a peace officer is any public sector person charged to uphold the peace. ... Federal police agencies are responsible for the enforcement of federal laws in countries with a federal constitution. ... It has been suggested that Firefighter Assist and Search Team be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries adopting the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Look up cruelty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An ambush is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. ... The term race serves to distinguish between populations or groups of people based on different sets of characteristics which are commonly determined through social conventions. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... Country of origin is the country of manufacture, production, or growth where the article is coming from. ... François Elluin, Sodomites provoking the wrath of God, from Le pot pourri de Loth (1781). ... In general use, lascivious is synonymous with lustful. ... Oral sex consists of all sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth, which may include use of the tongue, teeth, and throat, to stimulate genitalia or another body part for sexual pleasure. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Mayhem, under the common law of crimes, consisted of the intentional and wanton removal of a body part that would handicap a persons ability to defend themselves in combat. ... A Carjacking scene from the film Reservoir Dogs. ... Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he... The skull and crossbones symbol (Jolly Roger) traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... A drive-by shooting (or drive-by for short) is a personal attack carried out with firearms from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle. ... Train wreck at Gare Montparnasse, Paris, France, 1895 A train wreck occurs when a train crashes. ...

Public opinion

The Field Research Corporation found in February 2004 that when asked how they personally felt about capital punishment, 68% supported it and 31% opposed it (6% offered no opinion). This was a fall from 72% two years previous, and a rise from 63% in 2000. The 2004 poll was asked about the time that Kevin Cooper had his execution stayed hours before his scheduled death after 20 years on Death Row.

When asked if they thought the death penalty generally fair and free of error in California, 58% agreed and 32% disagreed (11% offered no opinion). When the results were broken down along ethnicity, of the people who identified themselves as African American, 57% disagreed that the death penalty was fair and free of error. An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

Post-Gregg executions

A total of 13 individuals convicted of murder have been executed by the state of California since 1976. All were by lethal injection, except for those indicated by an asterisk which were by gas chamber. Lethal injection involves injecting a person with fatal doses of drugs to cause death. ... // For other uses, see Gas chamber (disambiguation). ...

Robert Alton Harris (January 15, 1953–April 21, 1992) was an American career criminal and murderer who was executed in San Quentins gas chamber in 1992. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American Republican politician from California. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Joseph Graham Davis Jr. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Joseph Graham Davis Jr. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in leap years). ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Joseph Graham Davis Jr. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Joseph Graham Davis Jr. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Joseph Graham Davis Jr. ... Donald Beardslee (May 13, 1943 – January 19, 2005) was a U.S. murderer executed by means of a lethal injection in San Quentin State Prison, California. ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born on July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor and an American politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ... Stanley Tookie Williams III (December 29, 1953 – December 13, 2005) in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a murderer and an early leader of the Crips, a notorious American street gang which had its roots in South Central Los Angeles in 1971. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born on July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor and an American politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ... Clarence Ray Allen (January 16, 1930 – January 17, 2006) was an American prison inmate who was executed by lethal injection on January 17, 2006 at San Quentin State Prison in California for the murders of three people. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): ) (born on July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor and an American politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ...

See also

• Capital punishment in the United States

Capital punishment (also known as the Death Penalty) in the United States is officially sanctioned by 38 of the 50 states, as well as by the federal government and the military. ...

Notes

1. ^ California Penal Code § 37
2. ^ California Penal Code § 128
3. ^ California Penal Code § 190
4. ^ California Penal Code § 219

References

• Executions in California 1778–1967
• Capital Punishment Information from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
• "Two-thirds of California voters favor the death penalty, But a sizeable minority believe it has not been fairly implemented (PDF)", Field Research Corporation, March 5, 2004.