Stephen Horn: “recently the California District Attorneys Association, an organization which includes all of the elected district…”

“recently the California District Attorneys Association, an organization which includes all of the elected district attorneys of California's 58 counties unanimously adopted a resolution expressing adamant opposition to the Racial Justice Act provisions included by the House as part of the crime bill. If adopted, those provisions would effectively establish racial quotas for the death penalty. The 58 county prosecutors believe that these provisions will produce a number of damaging effects on California's and the Nation's ability to control crime. I agree. These officials--who have frontline responsibility for prosecuting California's criminals--oppose any version of this so-called racial justice legislation for the following reasons: First, enactment of these provisions would result in effectively abolishing capital punishment. The language requires that each State show that the death penalty was sought in all cases involving a capital offense. Second, there would be even further clogging of California's and other States' desperately overcrowded court system. The retroactive application of the Racial Justice Act would permit people already convicted of capital crimes to petition to have their cases reopened. In California alone, there are 376 such individuals on death row. Third, this Act disregards the fundamental principle of our criminal justice system that an individuals tried on the facts of his or her case.”