Return Capital Punishment - ReCaP

Social scientists have examined the general deterrent effect of capital punishment since the early twentieth century. Early studies, including those by Thorsten Sellin, took two approaches: Some studies compared homicide rates in states with and without capital punishment; others compared homicide rates for states before or after the reintroduction or abolition of capital punishment. Researchers found that murder rates in neighboring states with and without the death penalty were not significantly different. They also found that homicide rates in states did not increase after the abolishment of the death penalty or decrease after the reinstatement of the sanction. More recent comparative studies have come to the same conclusion, supporting Sellin’s contention in 1967 that “the presence of the death penalty in law and practice has no discernible effect as a deterrent to murder.”

In the early 1970s, some published reports purported to show that each execution in the United States deterred eight or more homicides, but subsequent research has discredited this finding. The current prevailing view among criminologists is that no conclusive evidence exists to show that the death penalty is a more effective deterrent to violent crime than long-term imprisonment.

Every major cost study has shown capital punishment to be more expensive than an alternative system where life-imprisonment is the maximum sentence. To see why, note that only a small fraction of the cases that start out as capital trials actually result in a death sentence, and only about 10% of those death sentences result in an execution. The 784 inmates executed (as of June 26th, 2002) since 1976 are only a fraction of the roughly 7,000 death sentences in that time, which sprang from an even larger number of trials.Yet, all of these cases were more expensive from the beginning, regardless of their final outcome, because they began as capital trials. Death penalty trials are more expensive than ordinary murder trials. They entail more pre-trial preparation time, more attorneys, longer jury selections, more expert witnesses, and a heightened level of due process. They are 3 to 5 times longer, and the defendant is less likely to simply plead guilty to avoid a trial if there is a chance of being executed.Considering the small percentage of executions that result, these expenses are a burden on the justice system. Yet, doing away with them without also getting rid of capital punishment would be unwise. Since 1976, over 100 people have been released from death row based on newly discovered evidence of their innocence - almost 13% of the number executed!

No longer solely isolated in the South, the death penalty has become a national phenomenon. There are more people on death row now than at any other time in the nation's history. (Death Penalty Information Center)Time is money. The death penalty is so monetarily exorbitant due to the fact that capital cases take longer at every stage and require a vast amount resources for both the prosecution and defense. In a North Carolina study, 24 principle areas were identified that can account for the enormous expenses. These included such areas as an increased amount of pre-trial motions, a separate penalty phase conducted in front of a jury (of which it could take up to eight weeks to select that jury), a more thorough review of the case on direct appeal, a greater likelihood that there will be a full briefing and argument on federal habeas corpus petition, and more preparation, and a longer clemency proceeding. (The Costs of Processing Murder Cases in North Carolina)"The North Carolina study estimated that a capital trial takes roughly four times longer than a non-capital murder trial. Based on the data collected by the authors of the North Carolina study, they found that less than a third of capital trials resulted in a death sentence. Nevertheless, each of these trials had the extra expense associated with death penalty proceedings. The trial costs alone were about $200,000 more for each death penalty imposed than if no death penalty was involved." (Instead of Death Penalty, life Without Parole)In South Carolina, The Sun News reported that the expenses for death penalty cases are "skyrocketing" due to a state supreme court ruling in which it states that attorneys in death penalty cases deserve reasonable fees. Before the decision, attorneys were limited to a maximum $2,500 fee for each death penalty case. (Death Penalty Information Center) The state's public defenders office spends about $138 defending an average criminal case, but for death penalty cases, the cost soars to over $200,000 each to defend. (Death Penalty Information Center)Capital crime trials cost an estimated $2.3 million per case. In fact, the death penalty, on the whole, is much more expensive than its closest alternative, life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. The reason behind this, is the fact that capital trials are longer and more expensive at every stage than other murder trials. Pre-trial motions, expert witness investigation, jury selection, and the necessity for two trials, one to establish guilt and the other to determine sentence, make capital cases exceptionally costly, even before the appeals process begins. Moreover, if a defendant is convicted but not given the death sentence, the state will incur the cost of life imprisonment, in addition to the increased trial expenses. (Death Penalty Information Center)

Isn't the main difference between life imprisonment and capital punishment the length of time taken to execute the offender?However, death by old age aka life imprisonment has the handy dandy attribute that you can stop it at any time, if it turns out the chap was innocent. Nice!

Perhaps you will be kind enough to share your thoughts on the staggering increase in drugs and drug associated crime.