About halfway through the state legislative session, there are some major money matters in debate at our Capitol. One of them is a proposal to abolish the death penalty in Colorado and redirect an estimated $1 million in savings to putting better investigatory resources to work, solving so-called cold cases.
House Bill 1274, proposed by Colorado House Majority Leader Paul Weissman, makes Colorado part of a trend: Several other states are now eying the cash to be saved by eliminating the system of long and exhaustive appeals which is dictated by a capital case.
Of course, activists who either oppose the death penalty or consider it necessary in our justice system have had this debate for many years. But what will come of this new, money-focused version of the argument? And what will families of murder victims think?
On the practical side, states are sizing up the extra cost of getting a successful execution carried out, years after the initial conviction. In every case there could be savings, on lawyers and the attendant trial legal costs, as well as on prison expenses for maintaining separate quarters for death-row inmates.
In Maryland, as an example, a recent study by the
Urban Institute think-tank estimates that any case resulting in a death sentence cost $3 million, compared to $1 million when the death penalty was not sought.
And in these times, a million or two here and there adds up to real money, in the minds of many who have to grapple with the state's money problems.
Where do you stand on this question? Let us know your thoughts, and join us Friday evening at 7:30 for
"Colorado State of Mind" on television, or any time after that, online.
-Cynthia Hessin
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