Death Penalty

ACLU Mourns the Loss of Arthur Carmona, Advocate for the Wrongfully Convicted
The ACLU of Northern California is deeply saddened by the apparent murder of 26-year-old Arthur Carmona on Feb. 17, 2008. Arthur was just 16 years old when he was wrongfully convicted of a robbery as a result of mistaken eyewitness identification in 1998. Arthur was determined to do all that he could to ensure that no innocent man, let alone an innocent teenager, ended up in California’s prisons. He became a great advocate for the wrongfully convicted and for reform of California’s broken criminal justice system.
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Families of Murder Victims Speak Out Against the Death Penalty
California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has released a new publication featuring the stories of murder victim families who do not support the death penalty. "Voices of California Crime Victims" echos a perspective that may be gaining popularity among California voters – that a more balanced approach to the problem of crime will require shifting some of the dollars the state spends on punishment toward programs that address root causes of crime, including poverty.
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The Truth About Life Without Parole: Condemned to Die in Prison
The facts prove that life in prison without the possibility of parole (LWOP) is swift, severe, and certain punishment. The reality is that people sentenced to LWOP have been condemned to die in prison and that’s what happens: They die in prison of natural causes, just like the majority of people sentenced to death. The differences: Sentencing people to death by execution is three times more expensive than sentencing them to die in prison. And if we make a mistake by sentencing an innocent person to death, it can’t be fixed.
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