California Death Penalty Costs State $184 Million A Year, Study Finds

California has rarely executed convicts since the death penalty was reinstated there in 1978, but the state has managed to spend $4 billion taxpayer dollars on capital punishment since then, according to a new cost analysis.

The study, conducted over three years by a senior federal judge and a law professor, estimates that the 13 executions California has carried out in the past three decades have cost an average of $308 million each in legal fees and death row security costs. According to the L.A. Times, a death penalty prosecution can cost the state up to 20 times more than a life-without-parole case.

Since the lag in California between a death row conviction and an execution now averages more than 25 years, and the state hasn't executed one prisoner since 2006, critics of the death penalty are wondering exactly what Californians are receiving in return for their money -- especially given the state's mounting budget concerns.

"Basically, they're paying for a life sentence, but at the cost of death penalty trials, death penalty appeals and death row incarcerations, all of which are extremely expensive," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. "And everything else gets shortchanged because of this gold-plated death penalty -- state schools are closing, policemen are getting laid off, prisoners are getting freed to make room. No one would think having the death penalty was worth that much."

California currently has nearly 700 people on death row -- by far the highest in the nation. If the state holds onto the death penalty, that number could climb to over 1,000 by 2030, costing taxpayers $9 billion, the study estimates.

Other states have already begun to phase out the death penalty due to budget issues: New Mexico repealed it in 2009, Illinois lawmakers voted to ban it in March of this year, and lawmakers in Maryland and Connecticut are currently considering doing the same. But in California, state law requires a vote by referendum in order to repeal the death penalty.

"We hope that California voters, informed of what the death penalty actually costs them, will cast their informed votes in favor of a system that makes sense," the report concludes.

Comments

[cindieB]

04:31 AM on 06/24/2011

Americans remain divided on the death penalty, which is not used in many other nations in the industrialized world. Though the debate over the capital punishment and its morality is one that will continue for a long time, the costs of the capital punishment is considerable. Taxpayers foot hefty bill to have the death penalty but the cost of death penalty cases in which the prosecution manages to get the conviction and sentence correctly is considerable. When prosecuting attorneys get it wrong, it makes things worse.

[bighornman]

12:44 AM on 06/28/2011

I believe that the majority prefer to keep death penalty option. California SUCK BIG TIME! Of all the years, their liberal lawyers would dance around, putting off many appeals. It should not be. Why ... the jury [we the people have spoken] determined this consequence for the worst criminals.

[Ty Treadwell]

10:57 PM on 06/23/2011

Not to mention the cost of that last meal, which can be quite tasty in California since they offer a pretty wide range of options!---Ty Treadwell, author of Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals from Death Row

http://lastsuppersbook.blogspot.com/

[LouGots]

11:46 AM on 06/23/2011

The death penalty opponents engage is protracted, frivolous, dilatory appeals and then complain the process takes too long and is too expensive. This sort of like the double-parricide asking for mercy because he's an orphan.

[Frank Halderman]

11:09 AM on 06/22/2011

Let me see,$308 million for 13 inmates equals $23,692,308. If you spend 30 cents of electricity for 700 inmates that's $210.00. That's $16,584,615,173 dollars saved. Death row emptied.. Problem solved.

[fnlook4]

08:47 AM on 06/22/2011

I have always had a problem understanding when people calculate the costs of things like this. Here's my problem. This article says that for the 13 people killed it costs approximately $308 million dollars for for legal fees and security. Here's my confusion, the legal fees for the state are prosecutors, judges, courts, gas electric etc. The security is for watching/guarding the inmates. These are costs the are going to be incurred anyway. The states prosecutors are salaried and being paid whether they work on the appeals or sit on their butts. The security guards are also paid whether they are watching death row inmates or the general population. Where are the additional costs? Are special laywer hired or special security guards. I don't understand the numbers. With my job, I'm paid if I work very hard for the day or spend the day kicking back. Either way my company pays me the same salary. Why's it any different here?

[anniewheelr]

07:43 AM on 06/22/2011

This is being used as an excuse to get rid of the death penalty. Cut the costs by cutting the time from sentencing to execution. Give the appeal cases priority in the courts. California finds more reasons to not carry out a sentence so they drive up the costs and now they want to prove that it is not cost effective.
If you add in the lost taxes from the person killed it might balance out a bit better since we are talking money and not justice,.

[Eternalwisdom]

07:22 AM on 06/22/2011

California errors by allowing it's own legal system to become mired down in legalities. If you want the death penalty use it effectively, like Texas. Twenty-five years to review appeals, come on.

[Omar Devone Little]

02:07 AM on 06/22/2011

Just another stupid failed institution this idiot infested country holds on too. Add this to the War on Drugs, Iraq, the Defense budget, fighting terrorism militarily, and supply side economics.

[GOPBulletsForJesusAndOil]

01:17 AM on 06/22/2011

It costs so much more..but darn it..conservatives love a "good Christian" thing.

[flyby777]

12:53 AM on 06/22/2011

I go back and forth when it comes to the death penalty. The wealthy have an advantage over the poor. Not all prisoners have access to OJ's dream team. If one of my kids was murdered, I'm quite sure I'd want revenge. Realistically, why don't they go into the general prison population and let the chips fall where they may? Ted Bundy might have met his maker a little sooner and it would have cost tax payers less money. Obviously, I didn't have warm and fuzzy feelings for one of the most prolific serial killers of all time. If they're going to protect death row prisoners over someone who's in prison for weed; that isn't right. It should be the other way around.

[Suzanne Mcnabb Tobin]

12:43 AM on 06/22/2011

Think about all the lives that could have been saved with the money used to execute just a handful of people. It could have been used for pre-natal care which is shown to produce mentally healthier children who might just grow up to be law abiding citizens. It could have been used for more police to prevent crime in the first place. The death penalty just masturbates our reptilian minds. Of course, if my family was murdered then I would want the guy executed. However, that decision would be the product of passion and passion never rules wisely.

[anniewheelr]

07:46 AM on 06/22/2011

How about California get off their butts and execute these guy and gals waiting so long. Give the cases priorities in the courts and get it done. That will bring down the cost and might remind California criminals that there is a death penalty.

[Candw1]

01:28 PM on 06/21/2011

I am a life long Democrat and I am in favor the death penalty. Sometimes there are people that just should not be allowed to live after some of the horrible things they have done to others. For instance ...child murderers, serial killers and sexual sadists. I am not a religious person but the bible that every religious person like to thump says an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I just have to be honest and say that if someone killed my family I would want them dead.

[FTracy3]

04:01 PM on 06/21/2011

Good for you..i also believe the death penalty places real value on the life of the murdered. I don't think a cold blooded killer should get the same or lesser penalty than a Bernie Madoff. But I just don't understand the argument that all murderers deserve to live. Or that "we're lowering ourselves to their level."..One could say that when we jail kidnappers.

[Omar Devone Little]

02:06 AM on 06/22/2011

That's not what the criminal justice system is here to do, but whatevs. You also kill your credibility when you say this:" I am not a religious person but the bible..."

You're basically saying that I don't really buy the source I'm about to cite. I'll also be honest too, if someone killed a loved one of mine in cold blood I'd want them dead...I wouldn't want some long drawn out state sanctioned process to do it. I'd want to do it, and I wouldn't expect society be okay with it because I'm not a cowboy.

[dudleysharp]

09:48 AM on 06/21/2011

California could save money with the death penalty.

Virginia executes in 5-7 years following convicitions, something that California could do if they just stopped loving wasting their taxpayers money, an addiction for which California politicians are noted.

If the $4 billion number is accurate, which I doubt, the cost average is about $4 million per death penalty case, based upon about 1000 death sentences in Ca since 1978.

Way too high, of course. East to streamline and dramatically reduce costs in politicians and judges want to.

California voters simply need to relieve themsleves of all the money sucking politicians who have put Ca under $371 billion in debt.

[Suzanne Mcnabb Tobin]

12:48 AM on 06/22/2011

All that money is really spent on illegal aliens so they can get sex change operations, breast augmentations and abortions. It's true.

[corwin]

07:27 AM on 06/21/2011

Texas seems to do everything better,doesn't it?

[harrymudd]

06:06 AM on 06/21/2011

How much should it cost when an innocent is put to death? What should that cost the society that allowed it.

[anniewheelr]

07:50 AM on 06/22/2011

I was once very liberal and brought that up and was told by someone I respected...their answer was that it was just one more person that the killer was responsible for killing...not the state. Had the killer not killed in a way to leave this innocent person to die then the person wouldn't have died.
The blood of the innocent person is on the hands of the real killer....not the state
I don't totally agree with the sentiment but it is an interesting way to look at it...as if the person was standing in the bank and was killed by the killer along with the others.