Tired of rampant crime, the citizens of the state of California started ratifying bizarre propositions that imposed deadly consequences for trivial crimes. For example, under Proposition 199, the Instant Justice Initiative, the number of appeals to the death penalty is limited to two, and those appeals are doled out immediately after sentencing. People are actually sentenced to death for minor vandalism.
However, some speculate that the government may have wanted to boost the sagging Nielsen ratings of the government-owned Court TV by showing more death penalty cases. Since the new laws have been enacted, Court TV has remained the #1 rated cable channel.