OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Opponents of the death penalty have released an economic study estimating the cost of administering the severe penalty in Nebraska.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss estimates that the state spends about $1.5 million more on death penalty prosecutions than on cases involving life sentences.
Nebraska voters will decide whether to reinstate capital punishment in November. Lawmakers abolished the death penalty in 2015 before a petition drive forced the vote.
Bob Evnen with Nebraskans for the Death Penalty questioned the study's conclusions. He says the Legislature evaluated the cost of the death penalty when lawmakers repealed it and didn't find significant savings.
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