8300 prisoners have been sentenced to death in the USA between 1973 and 2011.
However over 47% of prisoners sentenced to death have been removed from death row, mainly because their sentence or their conviction has been overturned, or their sentence has been commuted.
In North Carolina, where the death penalty costs over $11M/year, 60% of prisoners sentenced to death have been removed from death row.
This raises one question: Why spend so much money to sentence people to death, if their conviction is then going to be the overturned - Instead of sentencing people to death, shouldn't states rather concentrate the monies on crime prevention?
For perspective, nearly 70% of the prisoners landing on death row have had prior felony convictions.
If efforts had been put on crime prevention, there is perhaps a chance that those prisoners would not have reoffended.
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However over 47% of prisoners sentenced to death have been removed from death row, mainly because their sentence or their conviction has been overturned, or their sentence has been commuted.
In North Carolina, where the death penalty costs over $11M/year, 60% of prisoners sentenced to death have been removed from death row.
This raises one question: Why spend so much money to sentence people to death, if their conviction is then going to be the overturned - Instead of sentencing people to death, shouldn't states rather concentrate the monies on crime prevention?
For perspective, nearly 70% of the prisoners landing on death row have had prior felony convictions.
If efforts had been put on crime prevention, there is perhaps a chance that those prisoners would not have reoffended.
Read more
