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Frisca Florencia
ENGL 126-8762
Monday
Proposition 34
Capital punishment is the sorted solution to people who are convicted. It is employed
when no other punishment would suit the offense committed by a subject. In some states,
however, the former law was abolished and in its place, life imprisonment was applied. The
offenders, formerly condemned to capital punishment, would spend the rest of their lives behind
bars with no possibility of early release. Unlike other states, California has shown a continued
preference for the death penalty. The latter was revealed when the voters floored Proposition 34,
which sought to abolish the death penalty. Death penalty is a tool to rid the society of criminals
who are beyond correction while discouraging others to stay away from crime. California voters
have expressed their confidence in death penalty and largely supported its upholding.
In 1972, Proposition 17 was passed by way of the ballot, in California. Through it, the
death penalty is enacted. Criminals whose mindset may not be altered have no place amongst
fellow humans. Their drive to commit heinous crimes may be triggered anytime. They are a risk
to themselves and other people around them. As time progresses, states and nations have
resolved to other correctional measures for these criminals. California, however, has not changed
its stand. It maintains that hardcore criminals ought to pay a price for the life they have chosen to
live. Life offers people numerous chances to rectify their errors. People just waste these
opportunities repeatedly. Seldom do humans learn the importance of freedom. It is very clear that
no matter the number of chances some criminals may never change their bad ways. These people

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who cares less about their effect to other in the society deserve a death sentence. These criminals
are dangerous to the prison service guard or the other inmates. To these people who cannot do
anything by the law, death penlty is best best option to rest their case.
Most prisons especially in California, have many inmates and this may result to
overcrowding. A good number of these inmates are in for life imprisonment of others waiting
executions. In this case, death penalty may easen the situation. Recently, there was a move to
abolish capital punishment. It was dubbed Proposition 34. Apparently, Proposition 34 appeared
to gain more support from big names in the league. It was almost assured that Proposition 34
would win the election, as it attracted many supporters. However, it did not happen and
proposition 34 lost in votes. The mainstream supposed it would be best to maintain capital
punishment for dedicated criminals. Recent studies show that California holds the highest
number of death row inmates in the country. In addition, the country has suffered lack of room
for these inmates in the prisons. The reason for this is, though the death penalty is legal, there
have been minimal executions carried out. Timely executed would save, the prison the pressure
they have currently. Some criminal have their cases appealed with hope of escaping justice.
Therefore, death penalty is a solution to ensure the prison run smoothly and effectively.
The state should stop having a Proposition 34 mindset and carry on with the penalty.
Holding these inmates is a waste of the states resources; it is costly to cater for their handling.
Some even hope to escape justice and appeal their cases. These court proceedings take much
time and waste of the taxpayers money. Their cases still backfire. Moreover, they are going to be
executed eventually. There is no point in keeping them around. For a person with a known fate,
they could do anything. Had Proposition 34 been enacted, these criminals would face life
imprisonment. It sounds ethical that executing them. However, with such a fate, they are a threat

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to humanity. They could harm anybody who comes their way. They pose a risk to their fellow
inmates. Overall, the society is better off without them. So long as they are in prison, the state is
responsible for their well-being. It shall be providing money for their upkeep and expenditure
spent at maximum-security facilities. The money realized from the absence could be utilized in
other economic ventures. It is to the advantage of the public, as amenities are revamped.
Death penalty is a way of warning other citizens to avoid capital crimes. When they know
there is not second chances for their crimes less people will choose to take that road. It means
that death penalty is effective in discouraging criminal to stay out of crimes. Victims of inhuman
crimes are tired of waiting for the execution of people who caused them much pain by killing a
loved one (Saunders, The American Spectator). It revives hurtful sentiments whenever the
thought that someone responsible for your anguish is yet to meet justice. The state if failing such
people. What they believe in and what they voted for has not been mated by the people that
ought to. Capital punishment has been regarded cruel and outdated. People are forgetting that,
this act attempts to bring sanity to the world. Presently, people are not conscious of the crimes
they commit because there are numerous means to evade the consequences. Capital punishment
ought to be reinstated to its former status. This way, people will fear crime as much as they fear
dying. There is a price for everything. If callous crimes are done away with, the people much get
to know what happens to those that disregard the law and follow their will to cause anguish to
other people. People who have already been condemned to the death penalty and remain
unexecuted are filled with mixed feelings. They are unsure of when they will be executed and
whether that time will ever come to be (The Economist, Cruel and Unusual). It is best that
their predicament to be fulfilled as soon as they learn about it. Otherwise, this wait could
influence them mentally. It also infringes the prohibition of harsh retribution (Dolan & Kim,

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Federal Judge). Uncertainty, especially in a matter of life and death keeps the subjects anxious.
They are always anticipating what might be coming their way.
Presently delays have rendered the system useless. There are who was condemned to
capital punishment and more than two decades down the life, they remain unexecuted. Such
factors lead people to lose faith in the establishment. It ought to functional to retain the support it
has had from the public and the state alike. It ought not to disappoint, having been voted in thrice
(Egelko, California Death Penalty). It is the peoples choice. Various changes need to be
implemented as far as the death penalty is concerned. Given more time, inmates end up seeking
appeals. These appeals are costly to the state, in terms of money as well as, time. Nevertheless,
the verdict remains unchanged. The more they stay alive, the more the beings are troubled.
Executing these criminals would be a relief, to the state, and themselves. The death penalty in
California should be maintained. It should also be revived to ensure its functionality.

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Works Cited

"Cruel and Unusual." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 26 July 2014. Web. 4
May 2015.
Dolan, Maura, and Victoria Kim. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2014.
Web. 4 May 2015.
Saunders, Debra. "Yes, California, There Is a Death Penalty." The American Spectator.
11 Feb. 2015. Web. 4 May 2015.