It is, in Communist China, and most Islamic nations, but not in the USA.

This is because in Red China, for example, the condemned person is usually shot point-blank in the head, by the local community Chief of Police, and within a half-hour of being sentenced.

Cost of that execution: One bullet.

In some Islamic nations, beheading is the preferred method of execution (or hanging, in the case of Saddam Hussein) and in each case, the "costs" to do so, are negligible.

In the USA, we are so concerned with the rights of the condemned, that we forget all about his/her victims.

+5

Putting someone to death is rather expensive, but not as much as keeping them alive and contained their whole life. However, given the fact that killing people is wrong, the difference in cost should not be an issue.

Wow Mensan, defendants have legitimate rights to appeal the conviction. Maybe if you were arrested for something that you didn't do or the act turned out not to be a crime, maybe you'd have a warmer heart about the right of defendants to appeal their convictions. Some so-called "murderers" and "rapists" have been released over the years because DNA evidence has proven that they didn't commit the crime. China and Muslim countries literally bury their mistakes, so no one knows the wiser. But that's the thing about America ... we're wiser.

The containment figures would shock you to learn the cost of housing one prisoner for one year.

Housing, medical care and attorney representation has skyrocketed.

Yes, there is no comparison when housing vs. death penalty for prisoners.