Bill imposes death penalty moratorium

A dozen lawmakers have proposed a moratorium on capital punishment in Nevada until mid-2011 while a study is done on the cost of the death penalty.

The chief sponsor of AB190, the moratorium plan, Assemblyman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, said his goal is to "have a rational discussion rather than an emotional discussion" of the issue.

As Nevada grapples with a limited budget, it's time to consider the effectiveness of a punishment process that costs the state more per person than any other option, said Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno and one of the AB190 sponsors.

"We are in a fiscal crisis, and you would think that the cost issue would have more resonance. I hope it does," Leslie said, noting that similar measures have been introduced in at least eight other states.

Some estimates are that prosecution and appeals for death penalty cases " estimated to reach $3 million to $4 million per inmate " are about three times the cost of life-in-prison sentences.

Under AB190, the state could continue to prosecute death penalty cases but would not execute anyone before mid-2011. Until then, the bill would require Legislative auditors to study the fiscal costs of capital punishment on state and local governments, compared with non-capital cases.

Richard Siegel of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada said the fiscal crisis has provided a new perspective on capital punishment across the country.

"The cost issue has allowed a coalition to form between those who are philosophically opposed to the death penalty, and those who are against it for fiscal reasons," he said.

AB190, introduced Feb. 18, has not yet been scheduled for discussion. While it would establish a moratorium on any pending executions, it wouldn't prevent prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in new cases.

Rebecca Gasca of the ACLU of Nevada says her organization would like to take the moratorium a step further and ban prosecutors from even seeking capital punishment. Otherwise, she said, taxpayer money will continue to be wasted.