My opinion is Mixed.
I recognize that the state has the authority to administer the death penalty. I have no problem with this, in principal. However, it is poorly administered and does not perform its function well if at all.The death penalty is inequitably administered. Everyone knows this. If you are poor and/or a minority, you are vastly more likely to be given death than if you are wealthy/white.
Thats unacceptable.
Additionally, programs like the innocence project have proved that many people presently on death row were in fact innocent and had been improperly convicted, either by incompetent representation, faulty evidence, jury bias, or prosecutorial malfeasance. (withholding exculpatory evidence, not putting contrary witnesses on the stand
)
Thats horrifying.
There is nothing to add to this. If there was 100% justice in courts I would gladly support capital punishment for murderers. But people (incl. judges, jury, police et c.) are often corrupt and greedy and making mistakes and neglecting their duties so there is no small chance to execute innocent person. In such case (in terms of revenge which is the reason why caspital punishment supportes are so agressively defending it) there should be also capital punishment for judges, police officers and prosecutors who have convicted innocent person and for lawyer who didn't do his best to defend his client if it was proved later that executed person was innocent. Or, maybe just make execution of innocent person equal with first-degree murder with appropriate punishment for those involved in it. That would be fair.
Otherwise it looks like:
- Robber broke in to a house and killed the old lady living there
- Execute him!
- Jury sent innocent father of three to electric chair
- They have to say "I'm sorry"