Hornburger said:
I am curious and too lazy to research this on my own lol.
Which costs more, the death penalty or life in prison, and why does this method cost more?
It would make more sense to me that the answer would be life in prison because the state would have to care for the prisoner for their whooole lives, which adds up to quite a few bucks, but when I talked to some people on DP they thought the death penalty costs more because of all the legal fees from appeals and such involved. What do you think?
Thanks for your help!
It all depends an what sources you want to use.
Prisons are being over crowed,so new prisons have to be built.
http://www.sumeria.net/politics/IIB.html
Quote:
On average, it costs $20,000 per year to maintain one prisoner, $100,000 to build a single prison cell, and $20,000 per year to staff a prison cell.
If these numbers are correct and someone serves a life sentence of 45 year and the time value of money is not taken into account the overall cost per lifer is $1,800,000 .
http://www.debatepolitics.com/showpost.php?p=158619&postcount=64
$2,912,445.24 to execute someone 2005
This one goes further than 2005.
.
http://www.halfhill.com/inflation.html
So if I stick your ass behind bars for 45 years, lets see what the gradual cost would be verse executing convicting you right now and executing you in ten years.
$40,000 for the year 2005 to house one inmate
$40,800.00 for the year 2006
$41,697.60 for the year 2007
$42,614.94 for the year 2008
$43,552.47 for the year 2009
$44,510.63 for the year 2010
$45,489.86 for the year 2011
$46,490.64 for the year 2012
$47,513.43 for the year 2013
$48,558.73 for the year 2014
$49,627.02 for the year 2015
$51,115.83 for the year 2016
$52,649.30 for the year 2017
$54,228.78 for the year 2018
$55,855.65 for the year 2019
$57,531.32 for the year 2020
$59,257.26 for the year 2021
$61,034.97 for the year 2022
$62,866.02 for the year 2023
$64,752.00 for the year 2024
$66,694.56 for the year 2025
$68,695.40 for the year 2026
$70,756.26 for the year 2027
$72,878.95 for the year 2028
$75,065.32 for the year 2029
$77,317.28 for the year 2030
$79,636.80 for the year 2031
$82,025.90 for the year 2032
$84,486.68 for the year 2033
$87,021.28 for the year 2034
$89,631.92 for the year 2035
$92,320.88 for the year 2036
$95,090.50 for the year 2037
$97,943.22 for the year 2038
$100,881.52 for the year 2039
$103,907.96 for the year 2040
$107,025.20 for the year 2041
$110,235.96 for the year 2042
$113,543.03 for the year 2043
$116,949.33 for the year 2044
$120,457.81 for the year 2045
$124,071.54 for the year 2046
$127,793.69 for the year 2047
$131,627.50 for the year 2048
$135,576.32 for the year 2049
$139,643.61 for the year 2050
$3503074.70 rough estimate for total cost between 2005 and 2050 for housing a lifer.
Either you look at the shrot term cost or the long term cost.