Take my poll!

[thatgirly]

Hey kids, I made a poll.  It's only 7 questions, and I'd like to hear your answers.  You can pick more than 1 answer on the Check boxes, if you think more than 1 applies.  Feel free to leave comments to explain your answers.  Have an absolutely fantastic day!Poll The Criminal Justice System

I made this viewable to everybody (gasp!) instead of just friends, so feel free to point

Comments

[wylde_chylde99]

reinstitute the firing squad. why does killing people have to be so damn expensive? just shoot the fuckers and lets be done with it.

[thatgirly]

I don't think it's the killing them part is that expensive - probably a firing squad would be more expensive than lethal injection, what with all of the people on the squad, the Dr. there to make sure they're really dead, and don't forget the clean-up crew!

[wylde_chylde99]

are you kidding? lethal injection is HUGELY expensive.... and keeping someone on death row is 10x more expensive than regular incarceration

[7ghent]

Lethal Injection Consists Of:

* Sodium Thiopental (lethal dose - sedates person)
* Pancuronium Bromide (muscle relaxant-collapses diaphragm and lungs)
* Potassium Chloride (stops heart beat)
* The offender is usually pronounced dead approximately 7 minutes after the lethal injection begins.

Cost per execution for drugs used : $86.08

[wylde_chylde99]

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty

[7ghent]

That link doesn't even mention lethal injection or the cost of the execution itself. You've provided zero evidence for your statement that a firing squad is less expensive than lethal injection.

[glitch__]

$2.49 < $86.08 ?
(although that might be a tad... ahem.. overkill)

[7ghent]

Yeah, I imagine they use 5.56 NATO or 7.62x39 most places. However, paying the firing squad + a doctor has got to be the lion's share of the cost.

[wylde_chylde99]

dude, where else executes people with methods other than lethal injection? it's not the liquid in the needle that is expensive....

[7ghent]

Yeah, but the cost of the actual execution is never mentioned, so your statement is still completely unsubstantiated conjecture.

Just providing cites, that's all...

[zevhonith]

The Death Penalty Cost More than Life in Prison:
Prosecuting a death penalty case is extremely expensive for a state and drains money that could be used for education and social programs. Capital punishment costs more than sentencing a prisoner to life without parole. The most comprehensive death penalty study in the country found that the death penalty cost North Carolina $2.16 million more per execution over the costs of sentencing murderers to life imprisonment. The majority of these costs occur at the trial level.[2] In its review of death penalty expenses, the State of Kansas concluded that capital cases are 70% more expensive than comparable non-death penalty cases, including the costs of incarceration.[3]

http://www.aclu.org/capital/facts/10602res20070409.html

Re: Just providing cites, that's all...

[thatgirly]

It would be interesting to know whether the increased trial cost is solely due to the death penalty being on the table, or if it has more to do with the nature of the crime(s). (I suspect the former, but a state (with DP) vs. state (w/out DP) comparison would be interesting)
Of course, the real cost burden has to do with the number of appeals that must be dealt with before the prisoner is executed, and there aren't as many 'safeguards' where folks who are dealing with life in prison are concerned.

Also, thank you for doing actual research! And making it available! I'm really very excited to have spurred (mostly) intelligent conversations here, and actual facts get bonus points! :)

[thatgirly]

Have you ever had the occasion to visit John Scalzi's website? Your comment response skills/style make me think that you might appreciate his. (Also, I highly recommend his books, assuming you're willing to read Sci-Fi)

http://whatever.scalzi.com/

[7ghent]

I read and enjoyed Old Man's War, I bought the rest of that series but I haven't had a chance to read them yet. I haven't read his blog, but I'll check it out.

[glitch__]

Whether by firing squad or needle, how does the cost of incarceration factor into the expense equation? Seems like that portion of it remains fixed, regardless of the method of execution.