The Death Penalty: The Price Society Pays The death penalty has been a topic of controversy for centuries, known for its inhumane brutality methods which have evolved over the years from lynching to gassing, electrocuting and now the lethal injection; it is in fact the sentencing of those who have committed a heinous crime. On the other hand, justice has been served when the death penalty has finally been executed on the prisoner, bringing a sense of retribution to those who have lost a loved one due to the crime committed. Although many people might think it is a working system, others land in the mixture of controversy for various reasons. Over the course of time, the death penalty has started to become obsolete and is slowly making a turnover
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In Florida, The Miami Herald reported in 1988 that the cost of the death penalty per execution was 3.2 million dollars verses the 600,000 for life imprisonment. In North Carolina, professors at Duke University reported in 1993 that the death penalty cost 2.16 million more per execution verses murder cases with life imprisonment (McLaughlin 689). In other research, it has been established that the modern day death penalty is more costly than the alternative punishment of life imprisonment without parole. The variations of these costs for capital punishment not only include cases in which the prisoner is executed, but also in those cases where the death penalty is pronounced but never end with an execution. These cases also include costs for the necessary appeals and trials to prove a prisoner guilty (Radelet and Borg 50). While the societal pendulum swings from keeping the death penalty to abolishing it, one thing is for certain; a light has been shined on the cost of the death penalty and the reflection of its effectiveness is shining through. These numbers are just a few statistics that show how much the death penalty is costing the hard working men and women of this …show more content…
Data is unfortunately incomplete or difficult to comb through thoroughly to obtain an exact amount spent, but it appears that the expenses start to occur during the trial phase of capital litigation. Results for this are because of longer pre-trial periods, a longer and more intensive voir die process, longer trials, more time spent by attorneys preparing cases, more investigative and expert services, and an expensive penalty phase trial that does not occur at all in non-death penalty cases (Steiker and Steiker 405). Back in 2009 there were at least eleven state legislatures who considered bills to abolish the death penalty, all concerns were pointing at cost. Over time New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut have abolished the death penalty, and once again the high cost of maintaining a properly functioning death penalty system was the reason for the abolishment. National studies suggest that each additional capital trail causes an increase in county spending of more than two million dollar and theses costs are borne primarily by increasing taxes. These cost force counties to seek help from state legislatures to create programs to diffuse death penalty costs; total taxes and expenditures for capital cases from 1983-1999 were more than $5.5 billion
In Florida, The Miami Herald reported in 1988 that the cost of the death penalty per execution was 3.2 million dollars verses the 600,000 for life imprisonment. In North Carolina, professors at Duke University reported in 1993 that the death penalty cost 2.16 million more per execution verses murder cases with life imprisonment (McLaughlin 689). In other research, it has been established that the modern day death penalty is more costly than the alternative punishment of life imprisonment without parole. The variations of these costs for capital punishment not only include cases in which the prisoner is executed, but also in those cases where the death penalty is pronounced but never end with an execution. These cases also include costs for the necessary appeals and trials to prove a prisoner guilty (Radelet and Borg 50). While the societal pendulum swings from keeping the death penalty to abolishing it, one thing is for certain; a light has been shined on the cost of the death penalty and the reflection of its effectiveness is shining through. These numbers are just a few statistics that show how much the death penalty is costing the hard working men and women of this …show more content…
Data is unfortunately incomplete or difficult to comb through thoroughly to obtain an exact amount spent, but it appears that the expenses start to occur during the trial phase of capital litigation. Results for this are because of longer pre-trial periods, a longer and more intensive voir die process, longer trials, more time spent by attorneys preparing cases, more investigative and expert services, and an expensive penalty phase trial that does not occur at all in non-death penalty cases (Steiker and Steiker 405). Back in 2009 there were at least eleven state legislatures who considered bills to abolish the death penalty, all concerns were pointing at cost. Over time New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Illinois, and Connecticut have abolished the death penalty, and once again the high cost of maintaining a properly functioning death penalty system was the reason for the abolishment. National studies suggest that each additional capital trail causes an increase in county spending of more than two million dollar and theses costs are borne primarily by increasing taxes. These cost force counties to seek help from state legislatures to create programs to diffuse death penalty costs; total taxes and expenditures for capital cases from 1983-1999 were more than $5.5 billion