The death penalty is far costlier to our country than a system that utilizes life without parole as its maximum punishment. The average cost of death penalty cases is 2.4 million dollars , and often times these cases, after appeals, end with life without parole. In comparison, the average cost for a life sentence without parole is 500,000 dollars , which includes the incarceration cost. By making life without parole the maximum punishment, the money otherwise spent on death penalty cases could be spend on effective crime-fighting measures.
Also, a 2009 poll by DPIC found that the police ranked the death penalty as the least efficient use of taxpayer’s money, and last among ways to reduce crime.