Illinois had to instate a moratorium because of their track record of convicting innocence people to death. A conservative estimate is 50 innocent people have been executed in the US in modern times, and over 200 on death row are also innocent. Also, consider the harsh sentences of mandatory minimums for petty drug crimes where there's now an elderly warehousing problem where harmless people lost their lives but are too frail to care for themselves. Furthermore, America has the highest incarceration rate in the world overrepresented by mostly brown and poor people. Rich white people use drugs at similar rates but don't go to jail for it.

What's the alternative though? Paying to keep people in prison forever?

Prison labour is bad as it undercuts workers and unions outside prison.

Perhaps organ donation and medical trials is the most utilitarian?

A mixed marriage