Death Penalty Stats

8 Pages 1975 Words

that judges assigned to federal death penalty cases have been appropriately conscious of the need to monitor defense costs and that, for the most part, their efforts to control expenses have been successful. In the vast majority of cases, moreover, judges have been able to appoint well-qualified lawyers with sufficient experience in death penalty litigation to make cost-effective decisions about the resources required to present a defense. Overall, the average cost of representation in each major category of federal death penalty cases is reasonable in relation to the obligations imposed on defense counsel and the costs of prosecuting such cases. Nevertheless, the Subcommittee believes the additional cost-containment measures proposed in its recommendations should be implemented.
Among the most important findings presented in Part I of the report are the following:

1. The number of federal prosecutions in which an offense punishable by death is charged, and to which special statutory requirements for the appointment and compensation of counsel apply, increased sharply after the 1994 Federal Death Penalty Act increased the number of federal crimes punishable by death.

• Number of defendants charged with offenses punishable by death (by year of indictment):
1991 -- 12
1992 -- 45
1993 -- 28
1994 -- 45
1995 -- 118
1996 -- 159
1997 -- 153
2. The cost of defending cases in which the Attorney General decides to seek the death penalty for commission of an offense potentially punishable by death (authorized cases) is much higher than the cost of defending cases in which the Attorney General declines to authorize the death penalty for an offense punishable by death. The number of authorized cases has increased since 1994.
• Number of cases where the Attorney General has authorized seeking the death penalty, by year in which the a...