Are you .....pro death penalty or anti death penalty

[brucejoel99]

In an ideal world (i.e. not the one in which we live in b/c, among other things, there's too many mistakes & innocent people have been sentenced to death), I'd support the death penalty, but only in limited circumstances as a legitimate exercise of the state's responsibility to administer justice, & as a deterrent to crime.

In my opinion, it's a suitable retribution for truly heinous crimes, such as mass murder, terrorism, the abduction, rape & murder of a young child, etc. in which the perpetrator is caught on camera or is seen by multiple witnesses, where the evidence is *overwhelming,* & where there are no issues of mental incompetency.

In such cases, I'd support swift prosecution, w/ all necessary safeguards taken to provide for due process & fundamental fairness, & only if the appropriate application of the death penalty would be the best way to render justice, deter future crimes, & allow the victim's family & community to heal.