"However, if the State can kill these people, then it WILL kill the innocent.

Sadly, it is true in some places. If a combination of careless police, labs, prosecutors, judges and 'community standards' exists that tend to 'expedite justice', then innocents WILL at times be executed.

The question is, do we prevent this ONLY by banning all executions, or is there some way to allow it in cases where there is NO doubt, as in mass murder on video, or with multiple witnesses and a confession?... (Batman shootings in theater.)

When it is all forensic evidence and hearsay and biased witnesses, I think it should be illegal to even make capital punishment an option.


The trouble is, we have such contradictory idea about if and when any killing of a person or persons is justified. (and sometimes even about how to define either murder OR personhood.)

I tend to agree that 'some' murders deserve execution, to rid ourselves of their burden on society... but I would not relish the job of working out a fair, sane way to decide.