The Governor refused to acknowledge the tragic dilemma faced by families of mentally ill veterans like Manny Babbit. Babbit's borther failed in his efforts to find adequate mental health services before an innocent person died, and then made the agonizing decision to bring his suspicions about Manny's responsibility for the crime to the police in hopes that help would finally be forthcoming. Clemency was denied, and Manny was executed. Although many ex-prosecutors had doubts that Tommy Thompson had committed a rape and murder, the authorities allowed his execution to proceed. The failure to notify Jay Sirapongs' embassy that he was a murder suspect probably had an adverse effect on his defense, but two governors were willing to overlook that fact in denying clemancy.
Political pressures seem to have eroded the very nature of the clemency process.
And the calm and dignity of the condemned men as they have met their fate should only add to our unease surrounding capital punishment. In the face of these questions, there have been disappointing efforts to expand the death penalty. But there are occasional moves to acknowledge its financial and social costs. For current bills on the death penalty, see the FCL bill status summary. Death Penalty Information Center Death Penalty Focus of California Friends Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty .