Many people may believe that the death sentence is a way of saving money rather than feeding a prisoner for life, but many facts prove this belief to be wrong. Many states can be found paying up to ten times the amount for a case with death row as an option compared to a case without. [1] The greater portion of the expense is not due to the appeal process as many others may believe as well, but instead it is due to cost accumulate before and during the trial. When considering capital punishment as a sentence, investigation cost increase. Since executing an innocent person is not the goal of the death penalty, more money is invested into investigations. In addition, the trial requires more time for special motions and special selection of the jury. [2]
In Kansas, defending a death penalty case cost four times as much as a standard case. Studies found that between the years of 2004 and 2011 the average cost of a case pursuing the death penalty was $395,762 but the average cost of a case not pursuing the death penalty was only $98,963. It was found that the average trial cost for a capital crime was $72,530, whereas the average trial cost for a non-capital crime was only $21,544. The amount of time invested into the different trials also varied with 40.13 days being the average amount of time for a capital crime and 16.79 days being the average time for a non-capital crime. Housing alone had a substantial amount of difference in dollar value costing $49,380 to house a criminal on death row and about half the price of $24,690 to house a general prisoner. [3]
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California has spent over four billion dollars in capital punishment since its reinstatement in 1978. Furthermore, an additional 184 million dollars per year is spent for additional cost for capital trials, supplementary security for the prisoner, and appointed lawyers. [4] In 2011, California spent twenty times as much as they did on prisoners who were not faced with death row as an option on prisoners who were battling death row. [5] According to California Commission for the Fair Administration of Justice, July 2008, California spends $137 million per year on capital crimes compared to $11.5 million on non-capital crimes. Tennessee spends 48% more on capital crimes compared to non-capital crimes according to the 2004 Report from Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Office of Research. In the Urban Institute, The Cost of the Death Penalty in Maryland, March 2008, it is stated that Maryland pays three times as much as a standard case, or $3 million for a single capital case. [6]
Often, trials have significant errors and flaws that require them to be redone. This process further increases the already expensive price. Through increased taxes and removal of funding for programs like police and highways, the taxpayers of the county are responsible for footing this bill. The bill has a greater affect on the smaller counties with less people to cover the cost. The death penalty cannot just be reduced in price with 144 people being exonerated; cutting the process short will certainly result in the death of innocent people. [7]