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Tuesday 1 February 2022
latest to recommend re-
pealing the death penalty,
calling it "beyond repair."
Under the state's transfer
program, condemned in-
mates moved to other pris-
ons can be housed in soli-
tary or disciplinary confine-
ment if officials decide they
cannot be safely housed
with others, although they
are supposed to be inter-
spersed with other inmates.
Inmates on death row are
housed one to a cell, but
the transferred inmates
can be housed with others
if it's deemed safe.
"There have been no safety
concerns, and no major
disciplinary issues have oc-
curred," Waters said.
When it comes to jobs
and other rehabilitation
activities, condemned in-
mates outside death row
are treated similarly to in-
mates serving sentences
of life without parole. That
includes a variety of jobs
such as maintenance and
administrative duties, ac-
cording to prison officials.
The condemned inmates
Shown is the entrance to the east block of death row at San Quentin State Prison, Aug. 16, 2016, in San Quentin, Calif. are counted more often
Associated Press and are constantly super-
vised during activities, of-
Continued from Front backed the initiative. "Our 2020 that as of Friday had the pilot program. ficials said. Under current
Oregon similarly trans- objective was to speed up moved 116 of the state's Newsom's proposed bud- rules, condemned inmates
ferred its much smaller the process." 673 condemned male in- get for the fiscal year start- can be transferred unless
condemned population to He added he doesn't think mates to one of seven oth- ing July 1 seeks $1.5 million they are in restricted hous-
other inmate housing two victims are happy with the er prisons that have maxi- to find new uses for the va- ing for disciplinary reasons,
years ago. administration's decision. mum security facilities and cant condemned housing. have pending charges, or
Newsom, a Democrat, im- "They're moving con- are surrounded by lethal It notes that death row and have been found guilty of
posed a moratorium on demned murderers into electrified fences. its supporting activities are certain disciplinary offenses
executions in 2019 and shut facilities that are going to They intend to submit per- in the same area as facili- in the past five years.
down the state's execution make their lives better and manent proposed regu- ties used for rehabilitation But they also are "carefully
chamber at San Quen- offer them more amenities, lations within weeks that programs for medium-se- screened to determine
tin, north of San Francisco. while the victims still mourn would make the transfers curity San Quentin inmates. whether they can safely
Now his administration is the death of their family mandatory and "allow The money would be used participate in the program,"
turning on its head a 2016 member," Rushford said. for the repurposing of all to hire a consultant to according to the depart-
voter-approved initiative Newsom said voters ap- death row housing units," "develop options for (the) ment. That includes things
intended to expedite ex- proved the move, though Waters said. space focused on creating like each inmate's security
ecutions by capitalizing on he doubts many under- The ballot measure ap- a positive, healing environ- level, medical, psychiat-
one provision that allowed stood the provision. proved six years ago also ment to provide increased ric and other needs, their
inmates to be moved off "When they affirmed the required condemned in- rehabilitative, educational behavior, safety concerns
death row. death penalty, they also mates to participate in and health care opportuni- and notoriety.
"The underlying motive affirmed a responsibility ... prison jobs, with 70% of the ties." Female condemned in-
of the administration is to to actually move that pop- money going for restitution San Quentin's never-used mates are housed at the
mainstream as many of ulation on death row out to their victims, and correc- $853,000 execution cham- Central California Women's
these condemned mur- and to get them working," tions officials said that's their ber is in a separate area of Facility in Chowchilla. They
derers as possible," said Newsom said. goal with the transfers. By the prison, and there are can transfer to less restric-
Michael Rushford, presi- Corrections officials be- the end of last year, more no plans to "repurpose" that tive housing within the
dent of the Criminal Justice gan a voluntary two-year than $49,000 in restitution area, Waters said. same prison, and eight of
Legal Foundation, which pilot program in January had been collected under California voters supported the 21 have done so.
the death penalty in 2012 The men can be moved
LIKE US ON and 2016, though legisla- to California Correctional
tive opponents have said Institution; California Medi-
they hope to put the is- cal Facility; California State
sue before voters again in Prison, Corcoran; Centi-
coming years. An advisory nela State Prison; Kern Val-
panel to Newsom and law- ley State Prison; Richard J.
makers, the Committee on Donovan Correctional Fa-
Facebook.com/arubatoday/ Revision of the Penal Code, cility; or Salinas Valley State
in November became the Prison.q