A recent article in the American Police Beat highlights the concerns that police chiefs have with the costs and ineffectiveness of capital punishment. The article notes, “The problem, according to the police chiefs is the fact that capital punishment is costing states hundreds of millions of dollars for relatively few executions and nothing in the way of crime deterrence… Hiring more police officers, fighting drug abuse, longer prison sentences and improved crime databases all are higher priorities for top cops than capital punishment.” The article makes reference to an opinion survey of police chiefs commissioned by the Death Penalty Information Center. (See “Smart on Crime”).
(APB Staff, “Death penalty comes with a hefty price tag,” American Police Beat, Dec. 31, 2009). See also Costs and New Voices.
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). NEW VOICES: American Police Beat Reports "Death penalty comes with a hefty price tag". Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-voices-american-police-beat-reports-death-penalty-comes-with-a-hefty-price-tag
- Death Penalty Information Center. “NEW VOICES: American Police Beat Reports ‘Death penalty comes with a hefty price tag’.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 3, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-voices-american-police-beat-reports-death-penalty-comes-with-a-hefty-price-tag.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “NEW VOICES: American Police Beat Reports ‘Death penalty comes with a hefty price tag’.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-voices-american-police-beat-reports-death-penalty-comes-with-a-hefty-price-tag. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.
