Anne Grossi

The death penalty is expensive for states. Based on studies, it costs taxpayers more than life without parole costs. There is not reliable evidence that it deters crimes or protects police. Studies have shown that murder rates, including murders of police officers, are consistently higher in states that have the death penalty, while states that abolished the death penalty have the lowest rates of police officers killed in the line of duty. The death penalty is often inflicted on the most vulnerable: people with intellectual disabilities; people with mental illness; youth who commit crimes and are tried as adults.