Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson is taking issue with a report issued by an anti-death penalty group on Monday.
The report by Creighton economist Ernie Goss stated that ending the death penalty would save Nebraska $14.6 million each year. Goss reached that figure by using studies and data from several states.
Peterson says the group's report fails to accurately reflect the actual costs associated with the death penalty. In a statement, Peterson says "Goss speculated it was the appeals that had been sought by prisoners on death row. The Nebraska Attorney General's office handles all criminal appeals filed in the State of Nebraska, including those filed by inmates who are facing the death penalty. The total number of criminal appeals filed is approximately 500 per year. Of that number, less than 1% of all criminal appeals are filed in capital cases annually. It is misleading for this report to conclude that, on an annual basis, having the death penalty costs an amount that far exceeds the total annual budgets of both the Nebraska Attorney General's Office and the State Public Defender's Office, combined."
