Post by Logan on Jun 15, 2016 18:21:31 GMT -6
A debate over whether Utah should abolish the death penalty was renewed at the State Capitol on Wednesday, as lawmakers began an interim study focused on the costs of its use and the length of time between conviction and execution.
Those issues were front and center earlier this year, when lawmakers came close to passing a ban on capital punishment during the 2016 legislative session that ended in March.
Then and at Wednesday's Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee hearing there was plenty of disagreement and questions about the facts: Do death penalty cases cost more, or don't they? Would the state save money or pay more if the practice ends? And what are the reasons that these cases take — on average — 21 years to move from conviction to execution.
A 2012 study by state fiscal analysts found that from trial to execution, Utah spends about $1.6 million more on each death row inmate than on those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Read more: www.sltrib.com/news/4011677-155/death-penalty-debate-on-again-in
Those issues were front and center earlier this year, when lawmakers came close to passing a ban on capital punishment during the 2016 legislative session that ended in March.
Then and at Wednesday's Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee hearing there was plenty of disagreement and questions about the facts: Do death penalty cases cost more, or don't they? Would the state save money or pay more if the practice ends? And what are the reasons that these cases take — on average — 21 years to move from conviction to execution.
A 2012 study by state fiscal analysts found that from trial to execution, Utah spends about $1.6 million more on each death row inmate than on those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Read more: www.sltrib.com/news/4011677-155/death-penalty-debate-on-again-in