What is a moratorium on executions?
A moratorium is a “time out” on executing prisoners. Californians for a Moratorium on Executions (CME) is asking Governor Davis to suspend all executions at least until a study of the racial, economic, and geographic disparities in California’s death penalty can be completed. A moratorium is about the fundamental principles of the United States: due process, the right to a fair trial, and justice. The first moratorium in the U.S. in recent years was implemented by Governor Ryan of Illinois in January, 2000 after the 13th innocent individual walked off of death row in his state. The purpose of the moratorium and the study is to avoid precisely this type of error, and to examine the inconsistencies in who gets sentenced to death and who lives. Who supports a moratorium? 73% of Californians in a recent poll favored a moratorium on executions while the reliability and fairness of the death penalty are studied. Over 175 organizations, representing religious groups, human rights and social j
