Friday, July 1st marks the 17th anniversary of Kansas’ current death penalty statute. Noting Friday’s anniversary, The Salina Journal called on state legislators to repeal the Kansas death penalty in an editorial published Monday.
Citing the Kansas Legislative Post Audit’s 2003 cost study, The Salina Journal highlighted that not only are capital cases up to 70% more expensive than non-death penalty cases, but that Kansas taxpayers fund both the prosecution and often the defense in capital trials.
The editorial calls for state legislators to put the taxpayers’ dollars toward funding law enforcement and corrections, rather than pursuing an “expensive and wasteful exercise.”
Click here to read the full editorial from The Salina Journal.