The California appeals process is especially long, sometimes lasting 20-30 years, driving up the ...

In Maryland, a study by the Urban Institute
demonstrated that a single death sentence costs the state 3 million, while cases in
which life without parole is sought cost 1.1 million, factoring all costs of trial, appeals,
investigations, and prison. In Tennessee, a study by the Comptroller of the Treasury
revealed that it cost the state 48 more for death penalty trials than trials in which life
imprisonment is sought. In Kansas, it was determined by the state that death penalty
cases cost 70 more than non-death penalty cases. Comparable results have been
identified by several other states, including Nevada, Washington, New Jersey, Indiana,
North Carolina, and Florida. Research reputable sources in your own state, especially
the official state government sites and reputable newspapers and advocacy groups, to
determine whether such studies have been conducted in your state. Has this data been
used to urge that capital punishment be abolished, if it has not already? If your state
does not have the death penalty, have supporters of the death penalty acknowledged
these costs?