It would cost less to place someone in cryonic suspension than to execute him, and in so doing we would provide a chance, however small, that a wrongful conviction could be reversed in the future.
Hm, I don’t think that works—the extra cost is from the stronger degree of evidence and exhaustive appeals process required before the inmate is killed, right? If you want to suspend the inmate before those appeals then you’ve curtailed their right to put together a strong defence against being killed, and if you want to suspend the inmate after those appeals then you haven’t actually saved any of that money.
Hm, I don’t think that works—the extra cost is from the stronger degree of evidence and exhaustive appeals process required before the inmate is killed, right? If you want to suspend the inmate before those appeals then you’ve curtailed their right to put together a strong defence against being killed, and if you want to suspend the inmate after those appeals then you haven’t actually saved any of that money.
.. or did I miss something?
Some of it is from more expensive incarceration, but you’re right. This has one detailed breakdown:
Extra defense costs for capital cases in trial phase $13,180,385
Extra payments to jurors $224,640
Capital post-conviction costs $7,473,556
Resentencing hearings $594,216
Prison system $169,617
However, we’re assuming that with cryonics as an option the entire process would stay the same. That needn’t be the case.