According to a recent study, if California were to rid itself of the death penalty and everyone on death row received the next highest penalty on the books (life without parole) it would save tax payers $184 million per year.
Execution witness viewing room (c) Scott Langley
No state, certainly not California, can afford to waste public money like this. This is a state that has cut valuable social services and funds for education in the face of serious budget shortfalls.
The death penalty is a public policy failure that does not represent the best of our values as a society that says it is committed to human rights. It is a distraction from real solutions that could prevent violent crime and bring valuable services to murder victims’ families.
What could the state do with $184 million per year to improve the lives of Californians?
California is broke and California’s capital punishment system is broken. To try and help out, the ACLU of Northern California has launched their “Cut This” campaign – advocating for cutting the death penalty to save the state money. How much money? Approximately $1 billion over the next five years. This money could be used for much needed social services such as healthcare, education, or for more resources for law enforcement.
It is well documented that in California, as elsewhere, it costs more to sentence someone to death than to give them life without the possibility of parole. Information compiled by the ACLU of Northern California shows that, compared to non-death penalty trials, the cost of California capital cases is strikingly high.
According to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, Capital punishment costs California taxpayers $137 million each year, whereas permanent imprisonment for all those currently on death row would cost just $11 million, a savings of $125 million each year, or $600 million over five years. On top of all of that, $400 million is needed to construct a new death row, because the current facility is too old and overcrowded. So, as mentioned above, that’s $1 billion over the next five years.
There are of course many reasons to oppose the death penalty beyond its prohibitive cost … it is a fundamental violation of human rights for the state to kill a prisoner. The state has a responsibility to protect citizens from violence and provide support for victims and survivors of violence, but the death penalty does neither, and in fact diverts resources that could be better used to prevent crime and help victims.
