Ted Bundy Case

A charming young man with a bright political future, Ted Bundy would commit travesties that the world could not have possibly predicted. A serial rapist and murderer, Bundy eventually admitted to killing 36 women, with most experts believing the actual number to be over 100 (“Capital Punishment”). When the shocking evidence was revealed, Bundy was convicted and sentenced to death. During his nine years on death row, he cost taxpayers over 5 million dollars and received three extensions on his execution (“Capital Punishment”). While the majority of Americans felt Bundy deserved his punishment, the price of Bundy’s trial leaves many debating the merit of a system that uses millions to carry out the execution of one man. Although Bundy’s …show more content…
The United States Supreme Court has established a long line of precedence in order to protect a person’s life and ensure the right decision is being made (Smart on Crime). Because of these precedents, every aspect of the case takes longer and is more costly. These delays and expansions are the major contributors to death penalty expenses, not the actual deed of killing a man or woman. More preparation time is needed for both sides to gather their evidence and to do research, there are more experts to hire, twice as many attorneys on each side (sometimes defense lawyers are paid for by the government), and a prolonged juror selection process (“Capital Punishment”). Each side must hire enough experts to balance the others, and the jurors must be thoroughly questioned about any potential biases (Costs of the Death Penalty). Furthermore, there will be two trials: one to decide the person’s guilt and another to choose his or her punishment. These trials last three to five times longer and do not include the large number of appeals made during an inmate’s time on death row (Costs of the Death Penalty). Numerous appeals raise costs as defense attorneys attempt to stall for their client, increasing the length of the client’s stay on death row. More time spent on appeals also means more time spent on death row, a large part of capital punishments price tag. A California study revealed that, “it costs the state an extra $90,000 for each death row inmate per year compared to the costs of the same inmate housed in general population” (Costs of the Death Penalty). This expense is magnified by the fact that many prisoners spend multiple years waiting for capital punishment to be enacted; however, few of these cases actually result in death. In fact, 68% of death penalty convictions are overturned, and if a resentencing trial occurs, the person’s sentence is reversed