+47 The "death penalty" doesn't make sense. amirite?

by Maleficent_Page 2 days ago

How is the death penalty more expensive than providing shelter and nutrition to someone for decades?

by Damien80 2 days ago

Court costs, extra jail costs for segregation, the actual costs of execution. Also, shelter and nutrition and that expensive, relatively, when you don't care about someone's comfort or happiness and can do everything in bulk. You have to remember you're also still housing the person for, in all likelihood, a decade or more while their case clears the legal process. So really you're only getting the marginal benefit of a decade or two's reduced housing costs via execution. It's possible the PLRA changed the balance as the studies finding that execution was more expensive than life imprisonment that I'm familiar with came out before that legislation made appeals harder, but either way, it's pretty close.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Death penalty cases involve more extensive pre-trial investigations, a more costly trial process, and a significantly longer and more complex appeals process, including state and federal habeas corpus appeals. It's more expensive and it's not even close.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

It does in the US. I imagine in other places in the world justice might not be so careful.

by Aylinberge 2 days ago

Bwahahahaha you really think the US has a impartial and fair court system? Lol share why school shooters get prison sentences and Luigi is gonna get the chair.

by Constant-Nature 2 days ago

No one said it's fair, but in comparison to other countries with the death penalty... It's quite a bit better...

by Opening_Mobile 2 days ago

Several school shooters have been sentenced to death in the United States. Luigi has not been sentenced to death.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

In the United States, at least, it's the appeals process. As messed up as our legal system is, that's an essential part of it.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Curious on this

by jakemraz 2 days ago

The State of Indiana recently paid over $900,000 for one injection

by Demetrisschoen 2 days ago

Look it up. It's like Criminal Justice 101.

by Dockwest 2 days ago

Receiving life imprisonment is in my opinion a WORSE punishment than death. I agree with this completely. I've never understood why people consider being executed to be a worse punishment than life in prison. If anything were to ever happen that left me facing either life in prison or the death penalty I'd plead for death. It's not even close, in my opinion. Either decades of misery in prison, or nothing. Why choose misery?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Take out the costs, it doesn't have an impact on crime rates, so general deterrence isn't an issue, and is no more effective than life imprisonment for specific deterrence. But the number of people that have been convicted of crimes they did not commit and the fallibility of the justice system is the best reason to get rid of capital punishment.

by bradtkefleta 2 days ago

How exactly is feeding and housing someone for the next 40 years cheaper than a quick injection? What am I missing?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Due process. You are taking someone's life, so you have to make damn well sure you are right about the decision. A 1 hour court case is hardly sufficient for a final judgement.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

🤷‍♂️ life in prison should be no less rigorous than the death penalty

by Background-Aide 2 days ago

Yes, but it isn't, and that drives most of the increased time and expense of DP cases.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Lawyers cost a lot. Its something like 3-5x more expensive to do death penalty over life in prison

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Probably because in death penalty cases, it is usually a legal team, not just one lawyer.

by Downtown-Cicada 2 days ago

Injection? Bullets exist

by Fun_Acanthaceae 2 days ago

The cost of the legal appeals, plus the fact that death row inmates are housed in separate, special facilities, which drives up the cost. Now, I'll say that I'm with John Oliver on this. I'm not opposed to the death penalty because of cost or the potential of executing an innocent person (which happens). I think it's just plain wrong.

by Adventurous-Law-6137 2 days ago

Disagree completely. Not only is it not "just plain wrong," it's the most morally correct course of action. Nothing is more demented than forcing society to fund the existence of its most diabolical members. It's best understood from a very granular perspective. Imagine someone committing a heinous act and then killing someone's daughter. Forcing the mother (through taxes) to feed, clothe and home that killer for the rest of his life is morally outragous and "just plain wrong."

by Anonymous 2 days ago

That's not civilized at all though. I think the size of our society/government makes people miss the point here. Again, imagine your neighborhood/ small town as the only community and the government is just composed of the wisest people in that town. Now imagine someone going insane and slaughtering a dozen children at school. The civilized thing would be for the community to get together and kill this monster. The uncivilized and morally deranged course of action would be setting him up in some house in the community and forcing the parents of those children to provide him food and clothes for the rest of his life

by Anonymous 2 days ago

What if you get it wrong and they didn't actually do it?

by bradtkefleta 2 days ago

The whole system is built around the possibility of mistakes... that's why we allow for appeals.

by bradtkefleta 2 days ago

So would your stance change if we can guarantee zero mistakes?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Hard to say, as that's not something I can imagine. It's almost impossible to rule out the possibility of mistakes as there have even plenty of false confessions or cases of undiagnosed intellectual disability or mental health impairments.

by bradtkefleta 2 days ago

Well imagine it. Will you be for the death penalty if we rule out all possibility of mistakes?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Geez, calm down. Which crimes are you proposing it would apply?

by bradtkefleta 2 days ago

If we could guarantee zero mistakes, we are governed by perfect beings and don't need a complicated legal system at all.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

trial/appeal costs Due to long trial/appeal process those prisoners spend also decades in prison those prisoners are not allowed to work im prison but many other are. The cost of execution

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Again; this is common knowledge. Look it up.

by Dockwest 2 days ago

🤷🏻‍♂️

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think the other consideration is, it doesn't work. States that have it, don't have a significantly lower homicide rate. States that had it, repealed it, reinstated it didn't see any meaningful change to homicide rate. So it is way more expensive. We have killed innocent people. And it seemingly doesn't deter crime.

by Dockwest 2 days ago

It makes sense so long as you understand the mindset of its proponents. It's about revenge. It's about inflicting pain and fear upon the condemned. And in order to achieve that in, they're willing to invest significant amounts of money.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

There's obviously the higher costs aspect (death penalty is way more expensive than life, surprisingly) but for me the stronger reason is the moral one. I don't believe it's the job of a government to kill its own citizens. Especially ones detained, who are completely at the mercy of the state. The ones that do follow this policy of killing its own citizens are usually autocratic and use it to keep their people docile.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

It makes plenty sense. People dont want to die. Look at people doing life. They could easily off themselves. But they'd rather live

by wilma91 2 days ago

Expense isn't that great an argument against DP. US ambivalence about it means it is litigated extremely thoroughly, including another layer of review that is essentially meaningless for most criminal defendants (federal habeas). It is that thoroughness that is expensive (and slow), not anything about the punishment. In a world where US DP defendants get the same review as other current defendants, DP would be comparable if not cheaper than LWOP. I don't want to live in that world, but that's because I fundamentally don't trust criminal justice in the US to be proportionate or fair.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

the death penalty just prevents that person from commiting anymore crimes. im highly in support of it. rehabilitaition or no, some people deserves to die for their crimes, if only so their victims can rest easy.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole also prevents that person from committing any more crimes, but it also allows for the person to be set free if it is later determined that they were innocent.

by bradtkefleta 2 days ago

disagree, that person may commit more crimes inside of jail, which is common, or escape jail.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

The number of people escaping maximum security prisons is minimal, with their likelihood of committing further crimes even less likely due to their concern with drawing attention to themselves. Of course, it has happened, with tragic consequences, but this would be the same for any escapee, irrespective of whether they were on death row. There are various ways to mitigate risk of future offending in prison, but I don't often hear a concern about prisoners' welfare as a reason for capital punishment.

by bradtkefleta 2 days ago

Money aside im all for the death penalty. Especially if they touch children.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Life imprisonment is way more expensive....

by Anonymous 2 days ago

id like to see a source for that, and, quite frankly, theres enough lifers in prison that more than a few prison buildings had to be built just to house them.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Shut up dork. The death penalty is only expensive because nerds like you make it so. A bullet doesn't cost much.

by Mayertbraden 2 days ago

Typical ignorant internet tough guy response. You going to ride into town and clean up the streets with your Smith and Wesson over there Clint Eastwood?

by Downtown-Cicada 2 days ago

Yeah there's plenty of examples of societies where the government go around executing people with guns and no trial. It's very cheap, I'll give you an example if you're interested in moving.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

You would have a way different opinion if you were falsely accused.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I doubt that's the reason why. The types of crimes you'd have to commit to even be considered for the death penalty require you to be the type of person who truly doesn't give a F about anything. It typically requires more than just shooting someone in an isolated incident. It is almost always because you killed someone in an especially horrific way, or killed multiple people.

by Downtown-Cicada 2 days ago