Still more discussion of the costs of the death penalty

There continues to be much life in the reporting of the possibility of costs killing the death penalty.  The AP has this new piece, headlined "In hard times, executions become question of cost," which starts this way:

After decades of moral arguments reaching biblical proportions, after long, twisted journeys to the nation's highest court and back, the death penalty may be abandoned by several states for a reason having nothing to do with right or wrong: Money.

Turns out, it is cheaper to imprison killers for life than to execute them, according to a series of recent surveys. Tens of millions of dollars cheaper, politicians are learning, during a tumbling recession when nearly every state faces job cuts and massive deficits.

Similarly, Chicago Tribune this weekend has this article, headlined "In many states, cost is slowly killing death penalty." Here is a snippet:

Debate over the death penalty has undergone key shifts over the years. During the past decade, the discussion has focused on accuracy and fairness, with exonerations of dozens of Death Row inmates sparking calls for reform and abolition. Now, with the nation's economy slumping, the issue is cost.

Several states, including New Mexico, have introduced measures to abolish the death penalty, many of them citing its costs. In Colorado, a bill would take money usually spent on capital cases and use it to help clear unsolved cases. In Kansas, a legislator wants to use money for capital cases to close a budget shortfall.

In somewhat related news, the Chicago Sun-Times has this new piece, headlined "Death penalty: 10 years since last execution in Illinois; Last state execution was March 1999, but fight goes on to abolish death penalty."

Some recent related posts about death penalty costs:

• Great new (though still dated) examination of the death penalty and plea bargaining
• CNN now talking about the costs of the death penalty and state reforms 
• States considering laying off the death penalty during tough economic times
• The economic case against the death penalty getting more and more attention
• More discussion of cost concerns in debates over the death penalty
• Capital case cost concerns continue to inform reform debate
• Interesting time for Time's discussion of death's demise
• What might 2009 have in store for . . . the death penalty in the US?