3 ms·

I believe the cost to execute somebody in the US is significantly more than the cost of keeping them in prison for life.

• sliverstorm 16y ago
  Oh. That's ridiculous. I feel like that's a sign of a problem elsewhere in the system.
  • pbiggar 16y ago
    It's the cost of appeals. Whether you consider that a problem probably comes down to political leanings (discussions of which are best avoided on HN).
• fgf 16y ago
  Why is it?
  • sliverstorm 16y ago
    Legal costs of getting them sentenced to death. Apparently it takes $1.5-2 million to pay for the legal proceedings necessary to go beyond life in prison, while room & board & etc for life in prison costs about $500k.
    • fgf 16y ago
      That makes it really easy to be against the death penalty.
      • pbiggar 16y ago
        I would like to think that the decision of whether to execute people would not be based on financial concerns.