cost of death vs cost of life

not sure of price of electricity, or gas, but I know a bullet only costs about 67 cents and a nylon rope just a few bucks.

 

This is because of liberals who allow the murderers to drag out their appeals process for 20-30 years before we kill them. Put a stop to that, and the Death Penalty will cost less. It is not the death penalty which cost more, it is the appeals, and the subsequent room and board.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Yea, let's hurry and put these people to death, forget about any appeals; it's not like there has ever been any innocent people given the death penalty, right?

 

Terry,

I didn't say forget about the appeals. We don't need 20-30 years of appeals, however. Try to actually read what I write next time before you comment.

Joseph Botwinick

 

You are spot on, Joseph.

 

Yup that is exactly right plus the cost to house them for all those years in private cells in a special cell block is very expensive.

 

Give them their appeals certainly. But, I think that when someone is proven beyond a reasonable doubt to be guilty and their appeals fail, they should be given the choice of hanging or firing squad. March them outside, right then, and fulfill the obligation of the state. Do it publicly.

 

Only the first trial is about reasonable doubt. The appeals have to be about problems with the trial. One's lawyer sleeping through parts of the trial is not appealable; neither is new evidence of actual innocence (although the governor may issue a reprieve) unless the state knew & didn't disclose - although some states may have an auto-review of DNA evidence if it exists and the technology did not at the time of conviction. Unless the defendant is wealthy or famous, his or her lawyer generally is an inexperienced public defender. Money for the defender may or may not include an investigator to find witnesses and review state's evidence, depending on the state. The per diem fees often don't cover actual expenses (which would include the lawyer's & clerk's usual hourly rate).

 

Daisy,

I agree. I don't think, however, that they need 20-30 years worth of appeals.

Joseph Botwinick

 

I thought it was more like 10 years average, with Texas having Express Executions.

 

By any chance, was that 970 WFLA? I used to drive across the Bay from my home in Tampa to my job in Clearwater (before I transferred to the Commonwealth) and I used to listen to WFLA.


As someone who is against the death penalty, I would be curious to see if this is a valid statement too.

Regards,
BiR

 

It's a valid statement.

 

In most cases nowadays, DNA testing will show if one is guilty or not beyomd a shadow of a doubt.

As soon as possible after the crime, do DNA swab testing. Within two weeks, one can know if the alledged suspect is guilty or innocent.

I have a foster brother who is in prison today, serving a 154 year sentence because he and his natureal brother decided to rob a grocery in Nokesville, Va. several years back.

154 years????

C'mon judge, he won't live that long. And he did not show that kind of mercy to Mrs Winslow when he shot her.

Don't get me wrong. I love Joe, he was in the family for 2 and a half years. But Joe did kill someone and he now is living a tax free life with three squares a day at honest citizen's expense.

Where is the justice in that? Honest people paying for someone else's crime.

 

It's the huge numbers of automatic appeals that drive the death cases costs up so high. If someone gets life/no parole, and the case is fairly cut-and-dried, end of story (legally speaking). But, no matter how cut and dried a death case is, all appeals are automatic. Thus, it's tried several times over before all is said and done.

 

And how does it do that?

Who and what are you going to swab? Guilty or innocent of what? Seriously, exactly how is DNA evidence going to prove that Mr. A shot Mr. B or that Miss C poisoned Mrs. D?

Well isn't that the point? He will never come up for parole, he will spend the rest of his life in prison and he will die there.

He will spend the rest of his life in prison and he will die there.

From what I understand, it's not a pleasant place to be.

Honest and dishonest are paying the cost of his incarceration - it rains on the just and the injust alike.

Do the prisoner's do any labor where he is?

 

Daisy,

Any Crime Scene Investigator will tell you that DNA is a fingerprint that will emphatically point to a killer.

Yes, DNA can be taken from a gun even.

And prisons are not what you think they are... I know, I was in prison in the 70's in Virginia. I also was in prison ministry in another state back in the 90's in North Carolina. I have seen a big change in the way prisoners live.

Prisoners have rights. They can sue over not being able to wear a certain type of clothing, They can order videos from video rental places to watch. They can order fast food. They have access to computers.

It is like a home away from home to them. That is why there are so many repeat offenders.

And no, Joe is not on some work gang.

 

No, I don't think so. IF DNA is found & identified, it only means that the person very likely was there, but it wouldn't say when or doing what.

Really? How? What kind of tissue would have to be present and in what condition for that to be true?

Do you think DNA can seep through gloves?

They all must come from some mighty authoritarian, extremely tedious and dangerous homes.

He does no work there at all? Just watches videos all day between meal breaks? Ok.

 

DNA is not as readily available as people like to think.

Life isn't like CSI, and even when it is, DNA matching takes a long time and isn't always a sure thing.

 

The only thing that DNA can prove is innocence It can not prove Guilt. DNA can limit the field of the investigation but it can not prove guilt because of the likely hood of there being more than one person with a similar hit. In fact on a recent episode of Cold Case Files on A&E they collected DNA which pointed to the killer being a 3 year old boy. After ruling out the child as the killer even though DNA "Proved" he did it they were able to finely catch the killer who's DNA along with other physical evidence linked him to the crime.