State lawmakers: Abolition of death penalty unlikely
SOUTH BEND — Indiana state lawmakers say the General Assembly is more likely to try to find ways to help counties pay for death penalty cases than to abolish executions to save money.
“There aren't a majority of votes in the Indiana legislature to impose either a moratorium or a revocation of the death penalty, so that's not going to happen,” state Sen. John Broden, D-South Bend, a Judiciary Committee member, said Wednesday.
Broden said lawmakers need to look at how the state can help counties with the costs.
“In an era of declining revenues, we either need to come up with a way to fund future death penalty cases or take a look at other options. I guess everything is on the table right now,” he said.
The comments were in response to an assertion earlier in the week by Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller that lawmakers should look at whether the costs of death penalty cases are justifiable in tough economic times. A group that includes prosecutors and defense attorneys, professors, an Indiana Supreme Court justice and legislators discussed the issue Monday at the University of Notre Dame.
An analysis conducted earlier this year by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency found the average cost for trial and direct appeal in six capital cases averaged $449,887, not including the costs incurred by prosecutors or sheriffs. That compares with an average cost of $42,658 for seven trials in cases involving sentences of life without parole.
Indiana has executed 20 inmates since it reinstated the death penalty in 1977, and 11 more are awaiting execution.
Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Stan Levco said at the summit Monday that he believes Indiana's death penalty system is “nearly broken” because it costs so much.
“It's almost at the point where it's no longer viable. Unless we decrease the costs, it's not worth it,” he said.
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