Giving Compass' Take:

· This report by Alex Lundberg takes a close look at the costs associated with a capital trial and why the death penalty may result in more crime when funded at a local level. 

· Why does the author suggest the central government fund capital trials? How are capital trials traditionally funded? 

· To learn more about the U.S. criminal justice system, check out this guide. 

A capital trial is a costly affair. When a local government bears the expense of trial, it must raise funds or reallocate them from other sources. In Texas, among other states, the cost of trial is borne primarily at the county level. A panel of Texas county spending over the last decade, constructed from audited financial statements, shows counties meet the expense of trial by raising property tax rates and by reducing public safety expenditure. Property crime rises as a consequence of the latter. The death penalty may therefore impede criminal deterrence if its finance is left to local, rather than centralized government.

Read the full article about the cost of capital punishment by Alex Lundberg at SSRN.