USA - California. Former San Quentin warden pushes anti-death penalty initiative

Former San Quentin warden pushes anti-death penalty initiative. During a 26-year career at San Quentin, including 5 years as warden, Jeanne Woodford says she was morally opposed to the capital punishment the entire time. But she carried out the law, and oversaw 4 executions herself. Now Woodford is pushing a state ballot initiative that would scuttle the death penalty, replacing it with life without the possibility of parole. "I've killed 4 people for the state of California, and it didn't make anything better for anyone," said Woodford, who is now the executive director of San Francisco-based Death Penalty Focus. Woodford, 58, delivered her message today at the Marin County Civic Center, where she spoke at the invitation of county bar association members. About 100 lawyers, activists and legal advisers attended, many signing the ballot petition. The Safe California Act, in addition to instituting life-without-parole as the maximum penalty, would require murderers to work to pay victim restitution, and set aside $100 million to help solve murder and rape cases. Woodford, in a wonkish one-hour talk, said that regardless of one's moral position on capital punishment, the evidence shows it to be an utter failure of public policy. Since California resumed executions in the 1970s, the state has spent $4 billion to execute just 13 prisoners, according to Woodford. The petition drive has about 210,000 signatures so far, and needs about 300,000 more by mid-March filing deadline to make the November ballot.