"Lawmaker Proposes Audit of Death Penalty Costs," is the (somewhat misleading) headline of a KCUR-FM, Kansas Public Radio, report by Stephen Koranda.
The Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit will not be analyzing the costs of the state death penalty, at least for now.
The committee overseeing the division decided not to pursue Representative Steven Becker's request for an audit of the practice. Becker is a Republican from Buhler and a retired district court judge. He has introduced legislation to repeal the death penalty.
Becker says Kansas should determine how much capital cases cost the state and local governments, and how much money could be saved by eliminating the death sentence as a punishment option.
“The cost is one of the big issues and all we’ll be able to say is ‘this is what it was 10 years ago.’ I would like to be able to say ‘this is what it is now.’”
The Topeka Capital-Journal posts the AP filing, "Audit of Kansas death penalty rejected."
A Kansas legislator who opposes capital punishment won’t get the study he wants of the costs of the death penalty.
House Republican Steven Becker is a retired trial judge from Buhler. He has introduced legislation to repeal the death penalty statute and sought an audit of its costs.
And:
The committee’s vice chair, Sen. Jeff Longbine, says there aren’t enough resources to approve all requested audits. But Longbine also says a death penalty audit could be considered in the future.
Kansas has not performed any executions since reinstating capital punishment in 1994.
Earlier coverage of Kansas death penalty costs and legislation begins at the link; also available, more recent case information from Kansas.
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