DOGE the Death Penalty: No Government Program is More Inefficient Than Capital Punishment

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DOGE the Death Penalty: No Government Program is More Inefficient Than Capital Punishment

United States Congress

"The death penalty is a barbaric relic of the past—ineffective, unjust, and costly beyond measure." – Sister Helen Prejean

The death penalty is a failed government program that drains resources, risks innocent lives, and perpetuates systemic injustice. It does not deter crime. It does not bring justice. It is nothing more than a costly, error-ridden, and broken system that must end now.

The Cost of a Broken System

Pursuing the death penalty costs millions more than life imprisonment. States waste exorbitant amounts of taxpayer dollars—funds that could be used for crime prevention, mental health services, and victim support. In Kansas, death penalty cases cost 70% more than non-capital cases. In California, the system has cost taxpayers over $4 billion since 1978, while executing only 13 people.

The Risk of Executing the Innocent

Since 1973, over 200 people have been exonerated from death row. For every 8 executions, 1 person is found innocent—an unacceptable failure rate for an irreversible punishment. How many innocent lives must be stolen before we admit this system is beyond repair?

A Legacy of Racial and Economic Injustice

Justice should not depend on race or wealth, but it does. Black defendants are more likely to receive a death sentence, especially if the victim is white. Poor defendants, unable to afford proper legal representation, are disproportionately sent to death row. This is not justice—it is state-sanctioned discrimination.

America is Moving On—But Trump is Bringing Executions Back

The death penalty is on its way out. Death sentences and executions are at historic lows. Public support is dwindling. Even conservative states are abandoning this broken system because it is ineffective, expensive, and morally indefensible.

Yet, despite claiming to prioritize "government efficiency," Donald Trump has vowed to ramp up federal executions again—pushing a system that wastes millions of taxpayer dollars, disproportionately punishes the poor and people of color, and risks executing the innocent.

Last time Trump was in office, he carried out 13 federal executions in just a six-month period between July 2020 and January 2021—a period that saw more federal executions overseen by any president since Roosevelt, who had 16 over 13 years, and that included spies during WWII.

This is not justice. This is political theater at the expense of human lives. The time to act is now.

Sign the Petition: Demand an End to the Death Penalty

We refuse to let this failed, unjust, and wasteful system continue in our name. Join us in demanding that lawmakers abolish the death penalty and invest in solutions that truly make our communities safer.

Add your name today.

Sources:

Amnesty International USA. "Death Penalty and Innocence.

https://www.amnestyusa.org/issues/death-penalty/death-penalty-facts/death-penalty-and-innocence/

Financial Costs of the Death Penalty – Death Penalty Information Center

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/costs

Vox. "The long decline of the American death penalty, explained."

https://www.vox.com/criminal-justice/392570/death-penalty-supreme-court-joe-biden

Innocence and the Death Penalty – Death Penalty Information Center

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/policy/innocence

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Death Penalty Action

To: United States Congress
From: [Your Name]

We are writing to urge an end to the death penalty, a failed government program that wastes taxpayer dollars, risks innocent lives, and does nothing to make our communities safer.

The evidence is clear: Life in prison without parole is a severe punishment that holds individuals accountable while eliminating the risk of executing an innocent person. It also saves states millions of dollars that could be used for crime prevention, victim support, and rehabilitation programs.

Furthermore, while the majority of the country moves away from capital punishment, some states continue to cling to this outdated practice—despite its proven inefficiencies and failures. It is time to break the cycle of violence, not reinforce it through state-sanctioned executions.

We, the undersigned, ask that policymakers take immediate steps to end the death penalty, halt scheduled executions, and pursue clemency for those on death row. No government program is more wasteful, unjust, or dangerous than capital punishment. It’s time to DOGE the Death Penalty.