Since 1992, more than 15 death row inmantes have been cleared as innocent for their crimes based on DNA evidence. Numerous people are executed despite compelling evidence in favor of their innocence.
The execution of innocent persons is only one of many serious problems with capital punishment. What kind of hypocritical institution do we live in that people are killed because they have killed? State-sanctioned murder is indicitive of what a backwards society our country is.
As a punishment, the death penalty hardly measures up to life imprisonment. Death is final. It is freedom. With a sentence of life in prison, an inmate has the rest of his or her life to suffer.
Murder is a terrible crime. But an "eye for an eye" is hypocritical and unjust. Nobody should kill, including--especially--the state.