6 In July 2018, there were 2,738 inmates on
death row. 7 That's almost
$3 billion additional expense than if they had all been sentenced to life in prison instead.
Comparing the Costs of Death Penalty vs. Life in Prison
There are some problems with the information in that link.
For instance:
"First, the prosecution must go through a preliminary hearing. It’s looking to see if enough evidence exists to convene a grand jury."
That's quite true. I'm pretty sure it does that for any murder case, though, regardless of the punishment being sought.
"The jury selection process for a capital case is more complex than for a non-capital case. Each juror must be able to consider the evidence and render the death sentence, if warranted."
And a jury would need to decide whether or not someone should go to prison for the rest of his life. As in a capital case, each juror must be able to consider the evidence and render a verdict. No time or expense is added because it's a capital case...
"Another reason for the overall additional cost is that capital trials automatically receive an appeal at the state appellate courts. However, before an appeal is filed, many defendants issue a motion for a new trial, delaying things further."
This also happens in non-death penalty cases with great frequency...
"In 2018, the state had 69 death row inmates. The average length of time on death row was 16.3 years. More than one-third had served more than 20 years. It costs the state $56,000 a year per inmate just to pay for staffing, seven times more than the cost to staff a trustee camp for minimum security inmates."
This compares the cost of a death row inmate to that of a minimum security inmate. That's stupid, because someone convicted for murder isn't going to be in a trustee in a minimum security facility...
"Death row inmates incur more health care costs, too. The average length of time waiting on death row is 15 years. In California, it can be 20 years. As a result, death row inmates are older on average than the general prison population. That leads to higher health care costs that come from age-related illnesses."
This is so retarded it's almost funny. They want you to believe that, because an inmate's time on death row can be up to 20 years, that it costs more to care for them because they're older. Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but they're going to grow older if they're serving life without parole. Someone who's 75 years old on death row isn't going to be any worse off than someone who's 75 years old but in general population...
"The debate over whether or not to abolish the death penalty often centers around morality or its effectiveness in preventing crime. But the cost is another relevant factor."
We can argue the morality of it 'til we're blue in the face, but make no mistake: the death penalty shouldn't be a deterrent to crime, it should be a punishment for it...
"Because of its severity, death row and execution costs are an economic burden on government budgets. It's more cost-effective to commute death penalties to life imprisonment sentences without parole."
Having already addressed the issue of age, I've demonstrated how this is a specious argument. Inmates will age and require care regardless of what cell block they're on. Those on death row just won't need it for as long...