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What is the cost of capital punishment
Capital punishment cost in the united states
Capital punishment cost in the united states
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Capital punishment is the government’s way of legally killing criminals. In our society, there are strict laws against killing people, so why is the government allowed to get away with it, and call it lawful? “As an American I wanted to explore... why are we the only first world country that still has capital punishment? Is it because we're too afraid to really examine the system, or is it because we really truly believe that this is the best way to deter future crime” asks Jodi Picoult, a renowned American author. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is a sentence given to criminals of the most despicable crimes. As a person, it’s easy to quickly judge and condemn someone for their wrongdoing, but the laws that govern this country prohibit murder, and yet, the leaders of this country break those laws every time they sentence someone to death. Eighteen states have already abolished the death penalty; it’s time for the rest to follow suit, and lock the convict away in a maximum security prison for the rest of their life. Since 1976, when the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, 1,231 prisoners have been executed, with each death costing at least 3.5 million dollars. That's 4.31 billion dollars that could've been spent on bettering the impoverished cities that most criminals come from. The cost of capital punishment is so high due to the lengthy process that is required for the criminal's pre-trial, actual trials, one judging the innocence of the defendant and one for their punishment, both of which usually have twice the amount of defense lawyers and the equivalent of prosecutors, and the fact that capital punishment cases generally last 3-5 times longer than a typical murder case according to Richard C. Dieter, the... ... middle of paper ... ..." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. • Marceau, Justin, and Megan Healy. "The Costs of Colorado's Death Penalty." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013 • Motluk, Alison. "Execution by Injection Far from Painless." Execution by Injection Far From Painless. NewsScientist Health, 14 Apr. 2005. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. • Picoult, Jodi. "Jodi Picoult." Thoughtjoy. Thoughtjoy, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. • Reggio, Michael H. "History of the Death Penalty." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. • Rogers, Simon. "Death Penalty Statistics from the US: Which State Executes the Most People?" Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. • "States With and Without the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Information Center. Death Penalty Information Center, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
Additionally, capital punishment is absurdly expensive. In the article, “ Capital Punishment: Deterrent Effects & Capital costs” Jeffery A. Fagan discusses how expensive death penalty cases can be. He
Koch, Larry Wayne, John F Galliher, and Colin Wark, The Death of the American Death Penalty : States Still Leading the Way. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2012, Ebscohost Ebook.
Unlike popular belief, the cost of sentencing someone to death is actually more expensive than a life sentence in prison. In Washington, since the death penalty was reinstated 5 people have been put to death costing taxpayers roughly $120 million, that's roughly $24 million per case (Seattle University, 2015). A reason that people advocate strongly for the death penalty is because they believe that they should not have to pay for the costs to keep criminals fed, sheltered and imprisoned. In fact, 56% of Canadians surveyed believed that the one time cost of a lethal injection is cheaper and will allow their money to go towards something more advantageous like healthcare or education (Angus Reid). This is actually quite different from the truth, in fact is estimated that it costs $740 000 on average to put someone in prison for life. It is also estimated that it costs roughly $1.26 million to sentence someone to death (Seattle University, 2015). (There seems to be a discrepancy between how much a single case costs and how much Washington spent since the death penalty has been reinstated, but I could not find evidence to why that is). Among the reasons why the death penalty is so expensive is the fact that the time in courts is quite lengthy. Jury trials averaged 40.13 days in cases where the death penalty was being sought, but only 16.79 days
Cases in which the death penalty is gone after are more expensive and take more time to solve than non capital cases. “Even when a trial wasn’t necessary, those cases where the death penalty was sought still cost about twice as much as those where death was not sought” (Erb 1). The added money is due to legal representation, enhanced security for death row, and the costs it takes to go through the motions of a trial such as this. "The additional cost of confining an inmate to death row, as compared to the maximum security prisons where those sentenced to life without possibility of parole ordinarily serve their sentences, is $90,000 per year per inmate” (The Death Penalty 8). With California’s current death row (670) this would generate $63.3 million dollars per year. This is important because it shows factual stats about how much these cases cost vs regular cases and how much money could be saved if the death penalty was eliminated. These statistics show my thesis is correct because the high costs are one of the reasons why the death penalty might be
Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weak and deficient. A common misconception of the death penalty is that the cost to execute a convicted criminal is cheaper than to place a convict in prison for life without parole. Due to the United States judicial system, the process of appeals, which is inevitable with cases involving death as the sentence, incurs an extreme cost and is very time consuming. The cost of a capital trial and execution can be two to six times greater than the amount of money needed to house and feed a prisoner for life. "Studies show incarceration costs roughly $20,000 per inmate per year ($800,000 if a person lives 40 years in prison). Research also shows a death-penalty ease costs roughly $2 million per execution," (Kaplan 2). Capital punishment is extremely expensive and depletes state governments of money that could be used for a wide range of programs that are beneficial. As Belolyn Wiliams-Harold, an author for the journal Black Enterprise, writes that county governments are typically responsible for the costs of prosecution and the costs of the criminal trial, including attorney's fees, and salaries for the members of the courtroom. All this money is spent at the expense of the corrections department and crime prevention programs, which are already is strapped for cash (Williams-Harlod 1). These "financial constraints," such as capital punishment, do not promote a healthy, commercial society, but actually cost and harm the public.
In this paper I will argue for the moral permissibility of the death penalty and I am fairly confident that when the case for capital punishment is made properly, its appeal to logic and morality is compelling. The practice of the death penalty is no longer as wide-spread as it used to be throughout the world; in fact, though the death penalty was nearly universal in past societies, only 71 countries world-wide still officially permit the death penalty (www.infoplease.com); the U.S. being among them. Since colonial times, executions have taken place in America, making them a part of its history and tradition. Given the pervasiveness of the death penalty in the past, why do so few countries use the death penalty, and why are there American states that no longer sanction its use? Is there a moral wrong involved in the taking of a criminal’s life? Of course the usual arguments will be brought up, but beyond the primary discourse most people do not go deeper than their “gut feeling” or personal convictions. When you hear about how a family was ruthlessly slaughtered by a psychopathic serial killer most minds instantly feel that this man should be punished, but to what extent? Would it be just to put this person to death?
Prosecuting a death penalty case is extremely expensive for a state and drains money that could be used for education and social programs. Capital punishment costs more than sentencing a prisoner to life without parole. The most comprehensive death penalty study in the country found that the death penalty cost North Carolina $2.16 million more per execution, over the costs of sentencing murderers to life imprisonment. The United states economy is far from adequate and I believe these wasted dollars should be refocused towards unemployment and
Many people, including some higher educated people, tend to believe that executing someone is a lot cheaper than the alternative, which is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Indeed, this thought seems like common sense. However, extensive research has been conducted that contradicts that belief. For instance, a study conducted in Maryland, in 2008, found that the state spends roughly 1.9 million dollars more per capital case, compared to non-capital cases (Warden, 2009). But how can this be some may ask. Well, the reason capital punishment costs more than life without the possibility of parole, is because death penalty cases are longer and more expensive. Because the capital punishment is an irreversible sentence, the state, or government, is required to heighten the defendant’s due process in order to decrease the chance of the defendant being innocent (DPIC). Furthermore, not only is it more expensive for the trial phase, it is also a higher price for a state to imprison death row inmates compared to other
Pasquerella, Lynn. “The Death Penalty in the United States.” The Study Circle Resource Center of Topsfield Foundation. July 1991. Topsfield Foundation. 03 Feb 2011. Web.
Americans have argued over the death penalty since the early days of our country. In the United States, only 38 states have capital punishment statutes. As of year ended in 1999, in Texas, the state had executed 496 prisoners since 1930. Laws in the United States have changed drastically in regards to capital punishment. An example of this would be the years from 1968 to 1977 due to the nearly 10 year moratorium.
Simon, Mallory. “Fast Fact: Breaking Down the Current State of Death Penalty.” CNN.com. Turner Broadcasting System, 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
"Facts About the Death Penalty." The Death Penalty Information Center. 16 July 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
However, on the other hand, to execute death penalty is also costly. In the article, “Death Penalty Is Too Expensive for States, Study Find”, Warren Richey mentioned about the cost of death penalty. For example, in the article, he said “New York spent $170 million over nine years on capital cases before repealing the death penalty. No executions were carried out there. New Jersey spent $253 million over 25 years with no executions.” He also menti...
"Executions by State in the U.S.” AmnestyUSA.com. Amnesty USA, March 2010. Web. 1 March 2010.
"Number of prisoners executed in the United States (post-Furman)." Chart. Capital Punishment. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 11 Dec 1998. .