Death row inmates have more perks and most likely won’t be executed
The headlines today are all about the execution of John Allen Muhammad, the Beltway sniper, in Virginia last night. But in California, some murderers are begging juries to sentence them to death. The state has had a moratorium on the death penalty for nearly four years, and just 13 people have been executed since the resumption of capital punishment in 1977. So the 685 death row residents in California prisons mostly live long lives, (71 have died of natural causes, suicide or inmate violence in the past 32 years) with many more privileges than in general population, including CD players, TVs, in cell meals, and regular phone access are just some of the “perks” that make the ultimate penalty not so scary to some.