Death Row
Ever since California reinstated the death penalty in 1974, it's had a hard time executing its condemned killers. Since 1976, only 13 of the 600+ defendants sentenced to death have actually made their way to the death chamber.
But that doesn't mean the state isn't finding other ways to kill its inmates. According to a report from the court-appointed receiver who's in charge of California's prison health-care system, between 18 and 66 inmates have experienced "preventable deaths" in the state's prison system in 2006 alone.
Think about that: In one year, California accidentally killed more prisoners than it's deliberately killed over the last three decades. That's a staggering indictment not only of the prison health system, but also over the claim that capital punishment has a "deterrent effect."
Clearly we should sentence every criminal in the state to death -- it might be the only way for them to live.