The death penalty does not act as a deterrent any better than other punishments. If it did, death penalty states would have lower rates of murder than non-death penalty states. This is not the case.
The death penalty is hugely expensive. Keeping an adult inmate in prison for life costs about $1 million (although there is considerable variance here). Prosecuting a death penalty case from trial to exhaustion of all appeals and execution costs typically $5 million, as the government is paying the costs for both sides in the case. An appeals process is especially critical in capital cases, as there is no way to go back and make an executed prisoner whole again.
With the possible exception of Texas, the death penalty is seldom used. California has
The death penalty is hugely expensive. Keeping an adult inmate in prison for life costs about $1 million (although there is considerable variance here). Prosecuting a death penalty case from trial to exhaustion of all appeals and execution costs typically $5 million, as the government is paying the costs for both sides in the case. An appeals process is especially critical in capital cases, as there is no way to go back and make an executed prisoner whole again.
With the possible exception of Texas, the death penalty is seldom used. California has