Willingham's Arguments Against The Death Penalty

Capital Punishment, also known as the Death Penalty, has been a part of the United State’s justice system for the majority of the country’s existence. Today, 31 out of the 50 states still recognize the death penalty as a viable option when dealing with high profile crimes, most notably murder and sexual assault. While many people argue that the death penalty should be made illegal, there is also widespread support in favor of keeping the death penalty, leaving the nation divided on the issue. Both sides of the argument possess valid evidence that supports their claims, but in the end, the arguments in favor of the death penalty are noticeably stronger. The death penalty is an appropriate sentence that should continue to be allowed in the

Although having the death row may bring the victims closer, The cost of death vs. life in prison is irradical. Prisoners who do not go through the death penalty process only costs $740,000. If the prisoner went through the death penalty process, it would cost more than $1.26 million. If you were too make the process of the death penalty longer, than they would cost more than $90,000 more each year that they are on trial. Since most death procedures now a days are through lethal

It can cost as much as 3 times more to keep a prisoner on death row before execution than it costs to take care of a prisoner with a life sentence. In fact, defense costs alone for death penalty trials cost on average $395,762 per case, compared to $98,963 per case when the death penalty was not sought (Kansas Judicial Council). A study conducted by Seattle University on the costs of the death penalty i.e. the cost of appeals, hiring attorneys, and keeping a prisoner on death row before execution in Washington State found that, a death penalty case costs on average one million dollars more than a similar case that does not warrant a death penalty ($3.07 million versus $2.01 million). In addition, due to the longevity of death penalty cases, mostly as a result of the long appeal processes, statistics have shown the same high cost trends in all of the states that apply the death penalty. Thus, during these times of economic crisis, it is only wise for states and the government to spend and invest taxpayers’ money into more important areas, such as health care and

Some may be shocked to be informed that capital punishment actually costs more than life in prison; that is without parole. Many would figure that the costs would be less for the death penalty because of the food, place of living for the prisoners, etc., but quite frankly, it costs more for a prisoner to be punished to death rather than to having life in prison (Hyden). Some state’s taxes differ but for the state of California, capital punishment costs taxpayers more than $114 million a year (Bushman). Additionally, the taxpayers of California spend $250 million per execution (Bushman). According to the nonpartisan state legislative analyst’s office, the average cost of imprisoning an inmate was around $47,000 per year in 2008-09. In comparison, the death penalty can lead to an additional $50,000 to 90,000 per year, according to the studies found (Ulloa). In more studies, they have estimated the taxpayers to spend $70 million per year on incarceration, plus $775 million on additional federal legal challenges to convictions, and $925 million on automatic appeals with the initial challenges to death penalty cases

In 2003, a study found that death penalty cases cost 70% more than cases seeking life without parole. The average case seeking the death penalty costs 1.26 million, while the average cases not seeking the death penalty costs 740,000 dollars. For instance, in California, a state that uses the death penalty, it costs about 137 million dollars a year. If they did not use the death penalty, it would cost about 11.5 million dollars a year. The average cost of keeping a criminal in jail each year is anywhere from $30,000 to $168,000, depending when and where they are imprisoned. Many people also believe that using or not the death penalty will act as a deterrence, however 88% of criminologists do not believe that the death penalty has a big impact on preventing crime. 87% say that abolishing the death penalty would also have no big impact on crime and homicide.

One example of wrongful execution is the Cameron Todd Willingham case. Willingham was executed in February 2004 by the state of Texas for committing murder to his three daughters by setting his house on fire. Prosecutors believed that the girls were abused and killed by setting the house on fire to attempt to cover up the evidence (1). Willingham had maintained his innocence and spent 10 years appealing for his convection up until his execution in 2004 via lethal injection. However, there were multiple issues surrounding the investigation method, evidence,

The cost can range all the way up to 1 million dollars just for a single death penalty case. Since capital punishment trails are longer and more intensive they tend to cost a lot more than the normal murder trails. Due to the high costs of every death penalty case there has been economic crisis in many states. In the past, around 3,000 prisoners were released early in Florida and prisoners in Texas only served 20% of their time. Rearrests are seen common in these states because millions of dollars are used for the death penalty instead of preventing crime. Most of the money is not used for crime prevention programs that could decrease the amount of crimes more effectively. Texas has one of the most people in the death row but its murder rate is also one of the highest. The politicians who support the death penalty believe that death penalty respond better to the crime. They also think that using the death penalty will make them have a stronger image. Not taking into account of the lack of funding, many do not realize that a single death penalty reduces the resources in the area. The million dollars could be used for long term crime reduction programs such as increasing the amount of police officers or even drug rehabilitation programs. Every death penalty trial is seen as a luxury item even if the person does not get the death penalty

In late 1992, Cameron Todd Willingham was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death for a fire that claimed the lives of his three daughters the previous December. During the trial, the prosecution cited evidence from two arson investigators, Douglass Fogg and Manuel Vasquez, listing “more than ‘twenty indicators’ of arson,” along with testimony from medical experts and other witnesses. The trial lasted only two days and resulted in a unanimous guilty verdict. However, now following Willingham’s execution, it has come to light that much of the evidence used in his conviction in no way guarantees that arson had occurred. If this is true, the state may have put an

In 1992, Cameron Todd Willingham was accused of intentionally lighting all three of his children on fire. In 2004, he was executed. Shortly after, the Texas Forensic Science Commission found evidence against this statement, proving Willingham’s innocence. As it turns out, the evidence used against him was invalid, ruling it an accident. (Eric, “8 People Who Were Executed And Later Found Innocent”) But no good came from it, he was already dead.

There were many studies that were done in May 2012 that show in some states there was a significant cost up to $232 million per year for someone to remain on death row. Someone not on death row, only a life sentence, costs an average of $11.5 million per year. The largest cost is associated before the trial begins and during the trial. Even if all appeals were banned and extinguished, the death penalty would still cost a whole lot more than any of the other alternative sentences. If a prosecutor seeks the death sentence, they have to go through two phases of conviction – conviction phase first, then a sentencing phase. And then each trial usually has some special motions and then has to allow for extra time for the jury selection process. More costs are involved with the investigative side when the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. When there is any other verdict other than death, then there are usually a lot more costs involved for a retrial, and in turn, the sentence usually ends up as life in prison.

In 1991, Cameron Todd Willingham murdered his three daughters by setting fire to their home in Corsicana, Texas. The damning evidence against Willingham was the arson investigator’s findings—that the fire was intentionally set with the help of a liquid accelerant, a discovery proven by laboratory tests and burn patterns. Willingham claimed he was innocent for years, appealing his conviction until his execution at the Texas State Penitentiary on February 16, 2004. However, Willingham may not have been the murderer. In 2009, the Texas Forensic Science Commission panel reopened the case, determining that the arson investigators had used flawed science when they labeled the fire as arson. And while fire science has improved since the year of the alleged arson, experts have argued that the Corsicana Fire Department was negligent in their findings. The science commission is still investigating the arson ruling, and if the judge clears Willingham, it will be the first time an official has formally declared a wrongful execution in Texas. So did he actually do it? We may never know, for it’s all just speculation now. Does this mistake pale in comparison to all those who have “rightfully” been executed under the death penalty? Depending on your moral code, it might. But rather than narrowing this argument down to one specific instance, let us look at the death penalty on a broader scale, its merits and its flaws, the factors that push someone to standing in fear of the execution

2. In Texas, a death penalty case costs taxpayers an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years.

The cost of the death penalty compared to the life sentence is excessive. Sending someone to jail and letting them die of natural causes is way cheaper than executing them. According to the Los Angeles Times (Williams, 2011) the death penalty cost Californians $184 million a year. Over 20 years, the state would save more than $2.34 billion if they actually sentenced everyone on death row to life in prison. It costs 20 times more for an execution than a life-without-parole case with the cost of attorneys being $300,000 more to represent a person on death row than someone with a life sentence charge. Along with jury selection of capital cases being 3-4 weeks longer and costing $200,000 more and with the heightened security at execution adding $100,663 with many other expenses. The least expensive death penalty trial costs $1.1 million more than the most expensive life-without-parole case. Making lifetime imprisonment the more sensible option cost wise.

Often time's people ask, "How effective is the death penalty economically?" The United States has found that between 1989 and 1997 the cost of a federal death penalty case cost $269,139 and grew to $620,932 in 2014. There are many things that go into the reasons why it costs the state so much to try death penalty cases. One of those reasons is the costs of attorneys. Prosecutors and defense attorneys spend more hours preparing for a case. They usually hire more staff when they work on death penalty cases. It was recorded that the average amount of hours spent on a capital punishment case was 3,557, and that was just outside of the court room gathering research. Most attorneys charge their clients $100 per hour.

The death penalty slowly rids the world of killers - or those worthy of being sent to death for their crime - but it takes a great deal of time and money to do so. Due to the unnecessarily expensive capital cases, the cost efficient availability of keeping these inmates in jail for life without parole, and the high price to execute prisoners on Death Row, the death penalty should be illegal.