The Death Penalty

My support and sometimes opposition to the death penalty has gone back and forth in recent years... however, within the past year or so, I've turned staunchly in favour of it.

There's really not much to say about this topic, because the decision to either support or oppose the death penalty is deeply personal... but I thought I'd share some thoughts on why I support it.

1) First and foremost, every time I read about another brutal killing, another brutal rape/killing, another brutal child rape, another brutal serial killing, I lose all sympathy for murderers. I don't even believe that the death penalty should be applied in regular murders - only in special circumstances, where the crime is particulary heinous or heartless.

2) I sincerely believe that its an effective deterrent. The worst kind of criminals can still enjoy themselves behind bars. And if they're not enjoying themselves, at the very least, society is clothing them, housing them and feeding them... I can't stomach the thought of some serial rapist/murderer celebrating another birthday or even enjoying another sick laugh, even if they're behind bars. Death is far worse than 25 to life in prison.

3) This isn't really a reason, but I'd like to clarify that I'd think there should be a stronger burden of proof in death penalty cases. Only when guilt is certain should the death penalty be executed.

Most of my reasons are emotional however... Hearing the stories of victims, reading about the brutalities of specific crimes...etc. I just think its moral and that a brutal murderer should know that his/her heinous actions will not be punished with any less severity than the actions they committed themselves.