California’s turbulent history with the death penalty reached another landmark in November when voters approved a proposition to expedite death row appeals and rejected a proposition to repeal capital punishment.

Proposition 62, which was defeated, would have repealed the death penalty and replaced existing death sentences with life without the possibility of parole. Proposition 66, which voters approved, could expedite death row processes by limiting the amount of time available for appeals.

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Alternatively, voters may have kept the death penalty because of a perception of high crime rates. Stanford Law Professor John Donohue says when crime rates increase, so does the support for the death penalty — despite the lack of evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent for violent crime.

Crime rates are actually lower than in past decades, according to Pew Research Center. The rhetoric during President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign may have contributed toward inflating the public’s perception of crime rates. “When people are fearful, they are more likely to support more draconian measures,” Donohue said.