Los Angeles District Attorney is allowing county prosecutors to seek the death penalty again, reversing a ban put in place by his predecessor and making good on a campaign promise (article available here).
Removing the death penalty was one of the first changes implemented by former DA George Gascón when he took office in 2020. In a special directive, he called it “inextricably intertwined” with racism and said executions did not deter crime.
Under the new policy in LA, defense attorneys will be given opportunities to share information about defendants when the death penalty is under consideration, and survivors left behind by murder victims will also be able to share their views.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019, and the last prisoner executed in the state was in 2006. The governor’s term ends in January 2027 and he isn’t eligible for reelection.
California currently has 592 people on its death row, with 206 of them from LA County.