States have been spending tens to hundreds of millions of dollars extra per year in order to pursue the death penalty, while crime fighting strategies that have been proven effective are starting to suffer as states face severe budget deficits. The New York Times recently collected some of the cutbacks to essential services:

  • In Multnomah County, Oregon, where Portland is located, the district attorney’s office is so short of money that they have stopped prosecuting drug and property crimes until at least July 1, 2003. In addition, Sheriff Bernie Giusto said he has had to lay off prison guards as a result of the state’s budget deficits, and the layoffs have reduced the number of prison beds available by more than 25%.
  • Seattle’s police force has been reduced by 24 officers and 50 civilians this year to make up for budget cuts from the Washington’s legislature. Burglaries, car thefts, and shoplifting are up 18% this year.
  • John Welter, San Diego’s Police Chief, says that he’s facing “the worst situation I’ve faced in 24 years on the job” because the city is no longer able to fill the positions of six or seven officers who retire each month, leaving the city 100 officers short by Spring 2004.
  • New York City, which is facing a $3.8 billion budget deficit, has slashed $250 million from the Police Department in recent months. The force has eliminated more than 4,000 officers in the past 3 years.

Some law enforcement officials believe that communities will be feeling more devastating affects of the deficits in the months to come. Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker stated, “(T)he worst results are still six months down the road, as the bad guys realize nothing is going to happen to them, and then you start to get an increase in gang shootings, armed robberies and homicides.” (The New York Times, June 7, 2003). See Costs.