Remaining condemned prisoners receive innovative therapy
The 10 remaining Death Row residents at San Quentin are receiving innovative methods of therapy as they wait to be transferred to general population facilities. SQ Sgt. Brenes and four of his colleagues have implemented an innovative approach to socialize and humanize the condemned residents, who suffer from severe mental disorders. They are housed at the prison’s central hospital … [Read More...]
Former Death Row Upper Yard receives upgrade
High-pitched grinding noises, sparks, and the smell of carbon blades cutting through steel have informed residents of progress at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. The sounds, the lights, and the odor came from the long-awaited conversion of the Upper Yard from its prior use as a secure outside solitary cell area for Death Row. According to Lt. B. Haub, construction crews began working in … [Read More...]
‘Respecting the sancity of all human life’: Santa Clara DA takes 15 men off death row
California State Legislation permits prosecutors to resentence individuals if their sentence further serves no interest of justice, according to KTVU. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen filed a resentencing motion for 15 men currently on death row. The aim of the DA is not to set them free, but to reduce their death sentence to life without the possiblility of parole, if the court … [Read More...]
Death Row transfers: Residents in SQ’s Death Row are transferred according to governor’s plan
CDCR is in the process of phasing out its Death Row units at San Quentin and the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF). San Quentin’s Condemned Row residents are housed in the rehabilitation center’s East Block. These residents are locked up in a 4-by-10- foot cell for 20 to 24 hours a day and are handcuffed every time they came out of their cell. Some condemned residents welcome the … [Read More...]
Death penalty cases and executions at record low
Capital punishment and the imposition of new condemned sentences hit a new low nationwide in 2023, according to the National Reporter. The Death Penalty Information Center reported a 20-year low that has criminal justice experts rethinking the effectiveness of the death sentence. “The data shows that most Americans have rejected the death penalty as an expensive, unfair, and ineffective … [Read More...]
Death Row minister believes in becoming a better friend while serving the condemned
Death Row minister Chitoka Webb finds comfort and ease in life experiences, through religious leadership, and health. Webb, 48, is a Presbyterian minister and chaplain intern who volunteers on California’s Death Row. She frequently has thoughts about life and death in her capacity as non-judgmental minister, according to the Marin Independent Journal. In 2005 Webb lost her eyesight for about … [Read More...]
Second chance at life
From 42 years on Death Row to SQ's Earned Living Unit A formerly condemned incarcerated individual is alive and thriving in San Quentin State Prison’s mainline population. After serving 42 years on death row, Marvin Walker, a.k.a. “Shaka,” is currently residing in one of SQ’s Earned Living Units. This specialized housing is reserved for residents who have demonstrated exceptional … [Read More...]
STATE SET TO RESUME EXECUTIONS
The state of Alabama is resuming executions after a three-month delay in the wake of problems with lethal injections that forced the cancellation of three executions, according to reporting by The Associated Press. Last November, Gov. Kay Ivey ordered executions paused to allow for a “top to bottom” internal review of death penalty procedures. “I am confident that the Department is … [Read More...]
Controversia por ejecuciones fallidas en Alabama
Ejecuciones por inyección podrían ser suspendidas La gobernadora Kay Ivey, está poniendo una pausa al sistema de la pena capital después de tres inyecciones letales fallidas. Se ordenó una revisión completa “de arriba a abajo,” dijo ella. La fallida ejecución de Kenneth Eugene Smith, causó que esta medida se iniciara. Smith es el tercer caso de falla desde el 2018, y es el segundo … [Read More...]
No executions in California in 17 years
It has been more than 17 years since California last executed one of its Death Row residents in January 2006. Administrative processes, executive actions and various legal battles have been contributing factors to prevent executions during the period, according to Fox 40 news. “We are starting the process of closing death row to repurpose and transform the current housing units into … [Read More...]