California to turn San Quentin’s death row into a ‘positive, healing environment’

A spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections told the press, "We are starting the process of closing death row to repurpose and transform the current housing units into something innovative and anchored in rehabilitation."

The state of California further indicated that it plans to "develop options for (the) space focused on creating a positive, healing environment to provide increased rehabilitative, educational and health care opportunities."

According to local outlet ABC 7, Oregon is in a similar process, although, naturally, its death row population is much smaller compared to its neighbor state.

California had a moratorium placed on the death penalty in 2019 by Gov. Newsom, and, although it was able to carry out executions legally before that, it hasn't performed one since the year 2006, due to constant stays and appeals.

The state plans to merge the existing prisoners on death row with the general prison population.

Critics are calling Newsom's move an end run around a state initiative, which was passed in the year 2016 and also passed a public referendum, which would have gone the other way and sped up the execution process.

Currently, 28 US states, as well as the federal government, have the death penalty in place as a punishment for the most extreme crimes.