QUICK FACTS

Death Penalty Numbers in California

677 - people currently on death row in California
15 - women on death row
39 - people on death row from San Diego County
14 - executions since 1978, 13 in California and 1 in Missouri
6 - exonerated (innocent) people freed from death row since 1978
60 - death row inmates who have died of natural or other non-execution causes since 1978
27 - number of years served by longest serving death row inmate from San Diego County
40 - average number of death penalty trials each year in California
20 - average number of people sentenced to death each year in California
20 - percent of U.S. death row inmates in California
1 - ranking of California among states in the number people on death row

Permanent Imprisonment

Permanent imprisonment, also known as "life without parole" is a lifetime sentence.
No one ever sentenced to permanent imprisonment has ever been released.
As of June 2008, there were 3,781 inmates sentenced to permanent imprisonment; their term of imprisonment will end upon their natural death.
Both trial and appeal costs in permanent imprisonment cases are considerably less expensive than in death penalty cases.
In comparison to the $135 million it costs to run the current death penalty system, permanent imprisonment would only cost $11.5 million per year.

Financial Costs of Death Penalty in California

California taxpayers spend an estimated $135 million per year on the state death penalty system.
Each death penalty trial in California costs at least $500,000. Trials in San Diego are estimated to cost at least $1.1 million per trial.
At an average of 40 death penalty trials per year, California taxpayers spend around $20 million more annually for trial costs.
Annually, California spends $54.4 million per year on appeal costs stemming from death sentences.
The cost of housing an inmate on death row is estimated at $90,000 versus the $34,150 it would cost to house a prisoner sentenced to life without parole (permanent imprisonment).
For California's 677 death row inmates this means taxpayers are paying a total of $60.9 million a year on confinement costs rather than the $23.1 million per year they would be spending if these same prisoners were sentenced to life without parole (permanent imprisonment).
The death penalty system is currently underfunded. Fully funding the death penalty would cost California taxpayers even more, raising the total to an estimated $233 million a year.

Financial Costs in San Diego

Of the 677 inmates on death row, 39 have been sentenced from San Diego County.
The 39 condemned inmates from San Diego County have cost local county taxpayers an estimated $42.9 million.
To house the 39 condemned prisoners on death row costs California taxpayers around $3.5 million each year.
Since the year 2000, San Diego County has issued 9 death penalty sentences, meaning local taxpayers have paid roughly $9.9 million (or an yearly average of $1.1 million a year).
In general, the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice estimates that death penalty trials cost at least $500,000 per trial. However, in counties like San Diego the estimated cost of a death penalty trial is estimated to be at least $1.1 million.

Social Costs of Death Penalty in California

Social costs, or opportunity costs, underscore how tax revenue could have been alternatively used, and what other public services or goods could have been funded with the savings gained by not using the death penalty. Instead of spending $135 million a year on the death penalty in California, state taxpayers could have funded annually:

1,900 new California Highway Patrol or other local police officers
2,205 firefighters across the state
2,100 new teachers
19,000 underprivileged, low-income students at the University of California paying tuition at $7,325 per year

Social Costs in San Diego

Larger counties, like San Diego, pay for trial costs out of pocket by taking additional money from the county's general fund, which is also reserved for such things as sheriff and fire services, schools, and libraries. Since 2000, San Diego County has issued 9 death sentence convictions spending at least $9.9 million in taxpayer dollars or roughly $1.1 per year on trial costs that are paid for through the county's general fund. The $9.9 million taxpayer dollars used since the year 2000 could have funded annually:

22 new deputy sheriffs
20 new firefighters
14 new nurses
26 newly credentialed teachers
23 librarians
93,000 influenza vaccinations
52,132 children's books or 44,000 audio books for the elderly and visually impaired

Hidden Trial Costs and Need for Transparency

San Diego County does not make public the costs of death penalty cases and may not even track them. Some of the hidden trial costs that can be associated with death penalty cases include:

Investigation Costs
Expert witness fees and expenses
Court reporter fees and costs for preparing transcripts
Overtime and other benefits for county employees
Sheriff costs
Travel expenses and extra supplies

These are just some of the the expenses that can drive up the costs of a death penalty case by the millions. There must be transparency and accountability in San Diego County's criminal justice system. Local taxpayers have a right to know how their dollars are being spent, especially when hidden trial costs are paid for out of the county's general fund to the detriment of other underfunded public safety, health and education programs.