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Technically, yeah. But not really. In the last 30 years, Singapore has executed more than 400 people (Wikipedia has stats for 470, but is also missing the coun

Technically, yeah. But not really. In the last 30 years, Singapore has executed more than 400 people (Wikipedia has stats for 470, but is also missing the counts for many years.) Most for drug offenses. In the same time-frame, California has executed 13 people. And none in the last 16 years, and none for drug offenses.

wizofaus 4y ago
California also has 7 times the population of Singapore. None of which invalidates the fact that California does, in fact, have the death penalty, in marked contrast to most of the Western world.
- mbg721 4y ago
  The percentage of California which is Disneyland is not large, by area or population.
- aerostable_slug 4y ago
  Not in practice. The brand-new death house was mothballed (which really means locked closed) on orders of the governor. There's been some talk over vacating death sentences, but courts are really reticent to do that while the penalty remains on the books, even if it's not enforced. If the state rescinded Newsom's moratorium, there's still a court-ordered moratorium that would remain in effect (once again proving that most things Gavin Newsom does are just for show, because California has always just been a stepping-stone to DC for him). Condemned prisoners in CDCR custody are slowly being transferred to other maximum security facilities where they will have the opportunity to "program" along with other felons with long sentences (i.e. take advantage of educational, religious, vocational, and related opportunities rather than just wait to be led to the gurney). Death Row at San Quentin is scheduled to be repurposed in some way, though the state's Death Row for women is just another housing unit for segregated inmates at the women's facility in Chowchilla. t. my present day job involves the corrections system/industry.
  - wizofaus 4y ago
    Strikes me as something that could change quickly with a change of government though...either way, I don't think I could ever be OK with the idea that it's legal for a government to execute its own citizens.
    - aerostable_slug 4y ago
      Note that the public in California favors keeping it on the books — rather interesting for a pretty left-leaning state that hasn't executed anyone for years. From a utilitarian perspective, I think it's a waste of resources. We know how to deal with absolute incorrigibles without killing them: put them in a dungeon and minimize human contact. This is what we did with Tom Silverstein and he never killed another staff member or prisoner after that. Expensive, but probably cheaper than trying to execute him. And while he put on a good show for the cameras and appeared stoic, I'd have to think his lot in life served as a deterrent to at least some others with nothing to lose who contemplate violence against staff or other prisoners. Of course, then you've got monsters like Jaime Osuna. There's no deterring that beast, just managing it.

wizofaus 4y ago

California also has 7 times the population of Singapore. None of which invalidates the fact that California does, in fact, have the death penalty, in marked contrast to most of the Western world.

mbg721 4y ago
The percentage of California which is Disneyland is not large, by area or population.
aerostable_slug 4y ago
Not in practice. The brand-new death house was mothballed (which really means locked closed) on orders of the governor. There's been some talk over vacating death sentences, but courts are really reticent to do that while the penalty remains on the books, even if it's not enforced. If the state rescinded Newsom's moratorium, there's still a court-ordered moratorium that would remain in effect (once again proving that most things Gavin Newsom does are just for show, because California has always just been a stepping-stone to DC for him). Condemned prisoners in CDCR custody are slowly being transferred to other maximum security facilities where they will have the opportunity to "program" along with other felons with long sentences (i.e. take advantage of educational, religious, vocational, and related opportunities rather than just wait to be led to the gurney). Death Row at San Quentin is scheduled to be repurposed in some way, though the state's Death Row for women is just another housing unit for segregated inmates at the women's facility in Chowchilla. t. my present day job involves the corrections system/industry.
- wizofaus 4y ago
  Strikes me as something that could change quickly with a change of government though...either way, I don't think I could ever be OK with the idea that it's legal for a government to execute its own citizens.
  - aerostable_slug 4y ago
    Note that the public in California favors keeping it on the books — rather interesting for a pretty left-leaning state that hasn't executed anyone for years. From a utilitarian perspective, I think it's a waste of resources. We know how to deal with absolute incorrigibles without killing them: put them in a dungeon and minimize human contact. This is what we did with Tom Silverstein and he never killed another staff member or prisoner after that. Expensive, but probably cheaper than trying to execute him. And while he put on a good show for the cameras and appeared stoic, I'd have to think his lot in life served as a deterrent to at least some others with nothing to lose who contemplate violence against staff or other prisoners. Of course, then you've got monsters like Jaime Osuna. There's no deterring that beast, just managing it.