[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So again, it comes to a straight EV decision.
If 1 person in 1,000,000,000 was executed incorrectly, vs $20,000 per year in costs for keeping an inmate incarcerated, (Money that could be spent on better prorection for ALL citezens) then would it be better to have the death penalty for such crimes?
IOW, what is better, having X number of inocent people put to death or having Y number of inoccent people subjected to peadophiliac rape for cost z?
That is what I was referring to when I said it was an EV calc.
[/ QUOTE ]
Let's be objective and try to use some facts.
There was
1058 executions since 1973 (379 in Texas) and at the same time
123 death-row prisoners have been released
since 1976 because they were
innocent. In addition, at least seven people have been executed even though they were probably innocent since 1976. Do a math, that's not close to one of a billion IMO.
Also, a death penalty costs more than life in prison. The most comprehensive death penalty study in the country found that
the death penalty cost North Carolina $2.16 million more per execution over the costs of sentencing murderers to life imprisonment.
Death Penalty 101
[/ QUOTE ]
Its an attempt to differentiate between principle and practice. I'm against in principle so the error rate is unimportant.
In practice the error rate is so high that everyone should be against the death penalty. There's also the people who are guilty of what they are accused of in law but are not the people anyone sane wanted to be accused of a crime e.g some kid that had consensual sex with someone slightly younger and is technically guilty of pedaphilia.
chez