is capital punishment really more expensive than life imprisonment? if so, cite some evidences?

Question

what are the good promises and benefits of imposing capital punishment?

Answer 1

Capital punishment is more expensive than life imprisonment. I'll give you some sourced examples. Here is just one - from testimony to the New York State Assembly, winter 2004-2005-
In New York State, over the 10 years when the death penalty was in effect, it cost the state well over 200 million dollars to see just 7 men sentenced to death. None of the 7 men had come close to exhausting all appeals. For most the appeals process had barely started.

Other examples you can read about- Washington State, New Jersey, Tennessee, Kansas, Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, California, Texas- see http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=108&scid=7
Many people are surprised about this. Here is how the costs mount up in death penalty cases. Pre trial costs are much greater. Once a suspect is caught, the prosecutor must do a separate investigation into the crime, into the suspect himself, that is, does the suspect have mental retardation (if so, he cannot face the death penalty) or mental illness (he can face the death penalty). If the prosecutor decides to seek the death penalty, the trial will have two separate phases, one to decide guilt, one to decide the penalty. The process of choosing jurors is much more complicated in death penalty cases. Many more pre-trial motions are filed by both sides and have to be answered. Prosecution teams use more lawyers, and where the money is available, by the defense as well. Death penalty cases take much longer to try. If the sentence is death, the prisoner will be locked up in a separate prison facility, which is generally much expensive to run and to maintain. It is only at this point that appeals begin. Costs continue to mount up.

Here are some other facts about the death penalty system-

Re: Alternatives
48 states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says, is swift and sure and is rarely appealed. Life without parole incapacitates a killer (keeps him from re-offending) and costs considerably less than the death penalty.

Re: Possibility of executing an innocent person
Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence If we speed up the process we are bound to execute an innocent person. Once someone is executed the case is closed. If we execute an innocent person the real criminal is still out there and will have successfully avoided being charged.

Re: DNA
DNA is available in less than 10% of murder cases. It’s not a miracle cure for sentencing innocent people to death. It’s human nature to make mistakes.

Re: Appeals
Our appeals system is designed to make sure the trial was in accord with constitutional standards, not to second guess whether the defendant was actually innocent. It's difficult to get evidence of innocence introduced before an appeals court.

Re: Deterrence
The death penalty isn’t a deterrent. Murder rates are actually higher in states with the death penalty than in states without it. Moreover, people who kill or commit other serious crimes do not think they will be caught (if they think at all.)

Re: Who gets the death penalty
The death penalty isn’t reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??

Re: Victims families
The death penalty is very hard on victims’ families. They must relive their ordeal in the courts and the media. Life without parole is sure, swift and rarely appealed. Some victims families who support the death penalty in principal prefer life without parole because of how the death penalty affects families like theirs.

Opposing the death penalty doesn’t mean you condone brutal crimes or excuse people who commit them. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole. Americans are learning the facts and making up their minds using common sense, not revenge.

Answer 2

You know Kia, the biggest problem with capital punishment is the unwillingness of some states to carry out the sentence. It is relatively inexpensive to carry out the execution. What becomes expensive, especially for the state is housing, clothing, medical treatment, food, and the salary of the court appointed attorneys who carry out all the appeals after the death sentence has been handed down. The actual act od carrying out the death sentence is not expensive at all.

Answer 3

the promises are that bad people die. for pennies on the dollar.

sadly, it is no punishment when compare to life in prison, since there is no way out.


i would rather have capital punishment. its easier.

Answer 4

i read something in my high school civics class that said it cost upwards of $45,000 per year to keep a prisoner incarcerated. i can't imagine that capital punishment would ever cost more than that. but, of course, you can never put a price tag on human life...