How is executing a convicted murderer more expensive than a life sentence?

Question

Judges, DA's, and Public Defenders are all salaried employees of their respective jurisdictions. If the Murderer has his own attorney than it's their responsibility to pay their attorney. So, how can it cost more to kill them than to keep them alive and provide them all the things they want for the rest of their lives???

Answer 1

Trouble is that your system evolved into a monster machine allowing any capital cases to effect multiple appeals, and potentially be tried all over again several times. This means that a case incurs HUGE court costs, not to mention lawyer and expert fees and all the money expended by both defence and prosecution to go over all aspects of the trial every time to make sure they don't default to the other side.

Add to that the fact that the convict is held in a high security, even more expensive than normal prison all the time until either he's executed, or the death penalty is reversed, which can take more than 20 years nowadays... and you have a con that's held 20 or 25 years in a facility that costs more than normal prison for lifers, that gets 2 or 3 full trial circuits (criminal court, appellate, State supreme, US supreme), plus the costs potentially incurred by aborted executions procedures that are negated in the few days or hours before they should have been implemented, plus the fact that capital case lawyers charge huge fees, which are at the charge of the community because few defendents can pay their own lawyers in such cases ... grasp the trend?

Answer 2

In today's dollars, it costs about 30-40 thousand dollars per year to keep an inmate in a maximum security cell.

Thus, after 40 years, that would be about 1.6 million

The cost to the legal system to handle all the appeals to get someone executed can run the state over $10 million and take decades. The time and money spent on these appeals could be used to reduce the backlog in the courts.

BTW: even the best endowed defendants usually resort to free legal help after the first or second appeal....and most condemned murderers do not have the money to afford their own attorneys

Answer 3

It only makes sense that it is less expensive to excute a convicted murderer. The cost of housing a prisoner year after year adds up. Once the person is executed the costs end.

Look at how many years, for example, Charles Manson has been living off the taxpayers. Over 30. And that is a luxury that he did not offer to ANY of his victims.

The death penalty should be more vigorously pursued. Agree with it or not, if it is the punishment applied for the crime, it should be carried out. Maybe if it was it would be the deterrent it was intended to be. Seriously, how much of a deterrent is 25 to 30 years or more of free room and board???????

Answer 4

definite. to commence with the protection legal professional must be qualified to attempt a capital case. The trial procedure is mostly longer which consists of picking a death penalty qualified jury and separate guilt and penalty stages. Following trial there is an computerized charm to the state charm or state superb courtroom. If this fails the protection will argue numerous appeals. The death row is the most intense priced type of incarceration. that's amazingly manpower heavy. no longer to teach the ability expenses. The trial technique and appeals are designed to furnish the condemmed each and every useful risk at a honest seem at their case and to maintain their rights. some different factors. maximum "existence sentences" aren't any further truly existence. Many states will launch a terminally ill prisoner because the cost to look after someone in the course of the finest few months of existence is regularly extra intense priced than each and every of the previous clinical care they have had because beginning. Many anti-death penalty proponants use the fee as a reason no longer to have the death penalty. i believe that's a faux arguement as they're a similar those who fought to get those protections in the first position.

Answer 5

When I was in college about 5 years ago, we had to do a HUGE research project on this very subject. It was a huge deal that went on for months. We had to investigate and interview police, convicts, jury members, prisons, lawyers, congress men, senators, D'A's, professional crime analysists, the public, and etc. Our reserch papers had to be 25 pages long!
Anyway, the end result from every person in my class was that it costs a LOT more to execute someone than to keep them in prision. Most of my class, and myself, were shocked to say the least when we found out the numbers. I cant remember well enough to give accurate numbers to you, but with all of the work and research we did on the topic, it was a lot more to execute someone than to keep them in jail for their lifetime. I know it is hard to believe, but I myself did the work and saw the reports. We even had reports from prisons about the costs that showed the proof.
Weird i know, but it's true.

Answer 6

First I am against the death penalty as I do not think it is punishment enough. Send someone to jail for life, you paid the judges, lawyers etc once and now you just pay for the inmate's room and board. You sentence them to death and you're looking at 10 or more years of paying the lawyers judges etc, over and over again due to lengthy appeals process, and paying for room and board. In the end you pay so much additional to all the lawyers and judges and support staff, it is more expensive.

Answer 7

Because they have the right to a attorney and if they cant afford one ,one will be appointed for you ..That is where we the tax payers foot the bill.....I think they should just hang em how much is 10 feet of rope cost anyway and three are plenty of trees to use .,...

Answer 8

Executing a convicted murderer is not more expensive.
Keeping a murderer in prison costs at least eighty thousand dollars a year, and I believe that is a low estimate.

Answer 9

because moral people try to stop capital punishment and that cost money to put down the good people so we can murder a human

Answer 10

So it's OK to molest 16 yr. old pages, because a democrat did it 23 years ago. I thought your party was different. C'mon chip stop drinking the GOP Kool-Aid and wisen up. Hey Chip, Look down Below. And check yourself.