Michael Kopetski: “Mr. Chairman, I want to reiterate one point for my colleagues: the death penalty is more expensive, not less, than life…”

“Mr. Chairman, I want to reiterate one point for my colleagues: the death penalty is more expensive, not less, than life imprisonment. Again, estimates in California are that death penalty cases cost roughly $600,000, compared to $427,000 for life imprisonment. Moreover, adding more death penalty cases would further clog up the already overburdened Federal courts, squeezing out not only other criminal cases, but also civil cases, including business law. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, nearly one-half the working hours of the Florida supreme court are spent on death penalty cases. The lesson from Florida is clear: death penalty cases crowd out other court business. The Congress should think carefully before imposing the same burden on the Federal system. Mr. Chairman, let's instead learn from the experience of the States. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, last year's level of executions was the highest in 30 years, and yet, under present law, there were roughly six new death sentences for every execution. Under present law, the backlog of death sentences continues to grow, the average wait for execution may soon surpass 20 years, and death row inmates come to fear old age more than execution. Quite frankly, we can not kill them fast enough under current law. The system is broke.”