CDCR says its Condemned Inmate Transfer Pilot Program (CITP) has been successful following voter approval of Prop 66 in 2016.
Also known as the “Death Penalty Procedures Initiative,” Prop 66 aimed to speed up the process of executing individuals sentenced to death in California by expediting the legal process and reducing the time between conviction and execution for those on death row. Yet Governor Gavin Newsom put a moratorium on Death Penalty executions in March of 2019, citing the system has proven to be a failure on multiple fronts, including discriminating against mentally ill, black, and brown defendants, as well as those unable to afford adequate legal representation. Newsom also believed it had not demonstrated any public safety benefits or deterrent effects and had squandered billions of taxpayer dollars.
Over 100 Death Row inmates housed at San Quentin and Central California Women’s Facility were transferred out during the two-year pilot program from 2020 to 2022. Starting Feb. 26, 2024, CDCR began transferring incarcerated individuals with condemned sentences to appropriate housing based on individual case factors. The California Office of Administrative Law approved the CITP permanent regulations on Jan. 31, 2024.
SQRC transfers are being conducted in phases to 24 institutions within CDCR’s larger system, one of which is High Desert State Prison. Since February, 70 CITP participants have been transferred from SQRC. In addition, the 20 condemned individuals at CCWF have been relocated to the general population.
CDCR officials say CITP participants will be designated as “Close Custody” for at least five years. This is a long-established security measure. Activities will be permitted only during daylight hours and limited to designated areas with high security at non-walled institutions and to the main security areas in walled institutions. The population under consideration is under constant and direct supervision.
There are 644 people with condemned sentences within CDCR.
