"California's death penalty and public safety," is the title of Judy Kerr's OpEd in today's San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Kerr is with California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
I will never pretend to speak for any victims' families beyond my own, but I can say that there is a growing movement across the nation of murder-victim family members who speak against the long-held notion that we must have executions to meet the needs of the surviving victims. Our voices grow stronger each day and must be heard.
After the devastating loss of a loved one to violent crime, surviving families have many needs. When my own brother, Bob Kerr, was killed in 2003, I had several needs. I needed grief counseling for my family and myself, and I needed to know who killed my brother. I received grief counseling, but not without navigating a complex, bureaucratic system while I was in no shape to do so. I am still waiting, however, to know who killed Bob.
In California, in the last ten years, 46 percent of murders went unsolved. This means over 25,000 murders remain unsolved, and 25,000 other families are waiting, like mine, to know who killed their loved ones. And it means as many as 25,000 killers roam freely on our streets. In the midst of this crisis of unsolved murders, we are also facing the biggest budget crisis in our state's history. While people literally get away with murder, the public safety network in California has unraveled. Police officers in every county in the state are being laid off. And, in every county, we are cutting back on homicide investigations and eliminating victims' services.
And:
No one homicide victim is worth more than another when it comes to justice, but our death penalty system makes it seem so. In the end, the death penalty does more harm than good for all victims. Senate Bill 490 is now moving to the Appropriations Committee on Aug. 17. This bill will put the question of whether the death penalty meets the needs of California taxpayers on the ballot in 2012. It has been 30 years since voters have weighed in on this issue. It is past time to measure public support again.
Earlier coverage of cost issues from California begins at the link; there's also more from Judy Kerr.
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