Mar 17 2009
A New Argument for Repealing Capital Punishment: The Cost Argument
It turns out that the conventional wisdom stating that executing a murderer costs less than incarcerating him is simply false. According to this article from Associated Press, it actually costs over ten times more to execute an individual than to keep him imprisoned for life. Many of the costs occur in the form of lawyers’ fees, the highly convoluted and inefficient appeals system, and upkeep for prisoners who may spend decades on death row. Many states are considering repealing the death penalty now in order to introduce more fiscal sanity into their budgets.
This is one powerful argument for repealing the death penalty; the government cannot do it cost-effectively. Why should taxpayers be assessed multiple millions of dollars per executed person? Is that not a case of punishing the innocent – the general public whose members have not committed any crime to deserve such a fine?
Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II
This was know in th 80s, I wish I had a buck for every time I made that argument, you are right. But you know what… No one feels as good about saving money as they do about killing someone…The death penalty has little to do with reason and budgets and everything to do with emotion.