Lawmakers Introduce Constitutional Amendment To End California Death Penalty

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Lawmakers want to put an end to the death penalty in California.

Assemblymember Marc Levin (D-Marin County) introduced the Assembly Constitutional Amendment Monday that would not only abolish the death penalty but also require the re-sentencing of inmates on death row.

California's death row is the largest in the U.S. with more than 700 prisoners. Nineteen states have already abolished the death penalty. In March 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a moratorium on the death penalty and closed the death chamber at San Quentin State Prison.

READ: Victims' Families Urge Governor Newsom To End Death Penalty Moratorium

If approved by a two-thirds vote of the legislature, the amendment would appear on the 2024 ballot.