From the Lincoln Journal Star:
Nebraskans would save $14.6 million a year by replacing the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment, according to an economic study prepared for opponents of a referendum to restore capital punishment in the state.
The study written by Creighton University economist Ernie Goss was released Monday at a news conference in Lincoln.
The results, Goss said, surprised him and have caused him to reconsider his own personal position on the issue, prompting him to “lean toward voting to retain” the pending law to repeal the death penalty.
A referendum vote on the issue is scheduled for the November general election.
The results of the study by Goss and Associates Economic Solutions will be the focus of a new TV ad campaign to be launched later this month by Retain a Just Nebraska, the organization formed to oppose the referendum to restore the death penalty in the state.
The Legislature abolished the death penalty in 2015, overriding a veto by Gov. Pete Ricketts, but implementation of the new law was halted by a successful petition drive to submit the issue to the voters.