An Analysis of the Economic Cost of Maintaining a Capital Punishment System in the Pelican State

Abstract

Louisiana has had the death penalty in its current form since 1977. Since that time, there have been 242 death sentences. Twenty-eight of the people condemned to death sentences have been executed. Sixty-six individuals remain on death row in the midst of appeals or litigation concerning the validity of their conviction or death sentence. One hundred and twenty-eight of these death sentences have been reversed. Ten additional individuals convicted since 1977 have been exonerated and released. An additional ten death row prisoners have died on the row of natural causes or suicide while their appeals remained pending.

Commentators have noted that Louisiana has the highest reversal rate in the country, and one of the highest per capita exoneration rates. Little has been written about the actual cost of Louisiana's death penalty. Costs of capital punishment include defense costs, prosecution costs, court costs (including the costs of court reporters, sequestered juries, transcripts, and security), costs of maintaining a separate death row, and as well the costs of preparing for, defending and administering execution protocols.

This article analyses the total cost of maintaining a death penalty system in Louisiana, including defense costs, prosecution costs, court costs, and the costs associated with maintaining death row.

Keywords: capital punishment, death penalty, Louisiana