The SacBee is previewing an article that will be in tomorrow's print edition. It contains an interactive map examining the geographic disparity of death sentences in the state, at this LINK.
Several factors can affect how often prosecutors obtain death penalty
convictions. These include, but are not limited to, how often
prosecutors seek the death penalty, law enforcement's murder arrest
rates, the makeup of juries and the frequency of particularly heinous
killings.
The web version also contains brief interviews with:
Interview with Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco
Has that changed the number of death penalty prosecutions?: Every
case is different. I don't know if we've had more or less (death
penalty prosecutions) ... The people here have a very different view of
public safety than the people in San Francisco.
Interview with ACLU researcher Natasha Minsker.
How much does the political leanings of juries come into this?:
I have seen no evidence that political beliefs play a part in this. In
Northern California, Alameda County stands out as having the most
convictions, and it is one of the most progressive counties in the
state. ... (Because the voir dire process weeds out jurors who say they
can't impose the death penalty) the juries you end up with in Alameda
County are all still pro-death penalty.
More on the California debate begins here. I'm looking forward to the SacBee's full coverage tomorrow.
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