◆ SpookStack

e _ | a .° e STATEMENT: Between 1938-53, 27 per cent of Californians executed were men who killed wives, mistresses and girlfriends in crimes of passion. A . majority of these killed while under the influence of alcohol. A 15-year psychiatric survey at San Quentin showec that most prisoners in Death Row were insane or totally irresponsible for whatever they had done. Three of every 5 murders in:California between 1938-53 resulted from an interrupted armed robvery. COMMENT: . Bufiles contain no data relating to the above information. It appears that these statements were taken almost verbatim from a pamphlet of The Friends Committee, on Legislation, Washington, D. C., excerpts of which appeared in the June, 1960, issue of "The Police Chief." STATEMENT: Brown points out he is well acquainted with police problems and states that his father-in-law, Arthur D. Layne,was a captain in the San Francisco Police Department for many years. Brown states his critics have said that a state that abolishes capital punishment sends hundreds of policemen and prison guards to their deaths. Brown says “other states and nations have not found this to be true."' He said that Rhode Island which abolished capital punisiment in 1852, has the third lowest murder rate in the Nation. Its neighboring state of Massachusetts retains the death penalty and poth states have about the same. general rate of killings. A 1950 study of 266 cities in 17 states--of which 6 had abolished the death penalty and 11 had not--showed that "on the whole, states that have abolished capital punishment have had fewer police killings, but the difference is small." COMMENT: Bufiles reflect that Captain Arthur D. Layne, San Francisco Police DePartment, was cooperative with the San Francisco Office in the late 1930's. ‘who's Who" reflects Governor Brown married Bernice Layne in 1930. Bufiles reflect that Rhode Island does have the third lowest murder rate in the Nation and that Massachusetts has the eighth lowest murder rate. The 1950 study of 266 cities was made by Dr. Thorsten Sellin, who wrote a pook entitled "The Death Penalty and Police Safety." Itis noted that Uniform Crime Reports survey of 4,000, cities across the Nation reflects that on the average the same number of police officers are killed in states which have abolished the death penalty aS in states which retain the death penalty. The study of murder rates i states which do and do not have capital Punishmen. is inconclusive. Many social human and material factors are involved in murder which cannot be accurately measured. -6- a tle eo: