California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

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Prop 34 Article Reveals Inaccuracies

Dear Mr. Thomas and Ms. Wong:

I am an inmate at San Quentin State Prison. I am also a graduate of CSUH with a BA in mass communication. The CSUEB staff has been gracious enough to provide me with a subscription of The Pioneer. This helps to keep me informed about what is happening with my alma mater and my former community.

Recently I read your piece titled “Californians Oppose Prop 34 Polls show.” In the event no one has brought it to your attention, there were some things I believe you got wrong – namely facts. And it seems that at the end of your article there was a complete melt down in the editorial process. I am not writing to castigate the two of you, but to point out areas where you may need to check your facts.

Since my resources are so limited I have not been able to check the accuracy of the facts myself.  That said, I am not so certain that “In 1972 the ‘California Supreme Court declared death (sic) penalty unconstitutional’ and repealed 107 death row sentences, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.” To be clear, a law is repealed, not a sentence. Again, I haven’t checked, but I am fairly certain it was the United States Supreme Court that placed the death penalty on hold between the years 1972 and 1976, not the California Supreme Court, since the halting of the death penalty was imposed on all 50 states.

I don’t know too much about Proposition 17, but voters in California do not decide what constitutes “cruel or unusual punishment,” that was a judicial decision. Also, what “statute in 1978” did then-Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature overturn? That is very confusing, probably because it is not correct.

Your penultimate paragraph says “Only 14 prisoners have not been sentenced to death in California since 1978.” We all know that is not correct. And from the middle of your article to the end you lose four death row inmates when you reduce their count from 729 to 725. What happened, were they executed?

Lastly, a sentence is not “exonerated,” a prisoner is by freeing him or her from responsibility of a crime. I strongly suggest that you invest in a good law dictionary (I own two: Black’s and Barron’s) if you have not already.

It would not hurt to brush up on your political science either because it appears to me, from reading your article, that there is no distinction made between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government.

I am not a death row inmate, but I am serving an indeterminate (life) sentence. Prison issues always catch the attention of inmates when they appear in newspapers. And I have to tell you that many inmates cringe when reporters write articles and stories about prison but have never visited a prison or have held an interview with a prisoner.

If it seems like I am too critical it may be because I hold a paralegal diploma from Blackstone Career Institute. I earned it while serving time at Folsom State Prison. I have been incarcerated for 16 years, and I know the ins and outs of the system. At least I think I do.

I also write articles in various publications and occasionally for the San Quentin News (sanquentinnews.com). I know that you are probably students so I will encourage you to do better in the future. People make mistakes. I understand that well. So, with that said, I hope you get back to work and crank something out that I can give you praise for, just as I did recently with your Editor-in-Chief, Natalia Aldana. She wrote a good piece on the California Three-strikes Law.

You should know that after I read The Pioneer, I take it down to the staff (inmates and advisors) at San Quentin News. We all read many publications, and yours is one of them.

Take care, keep writing, and good luck in the future.

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Prop 34 Article Reveals Inaccuracies