While it can be intelligently argued that the death penalty has special value as a punishment (particularly according to certain religious standards), capital punishment is never strictly necessary and therefore amounts to unnecessary killing in all cases. Life in a maximum-security facility without the possibility of parole is, arguably, an even more severe punishment; and, surprisingly enough, it is frequently cheaper than the death penalty, given the huge amounts of red tape and lengthy appeals processes that are financed by taxpayers in a majority of death-row cases.

Although I personally feel like some people should get the death penalty when I'm angry, I know that it's not right, and there are plenty of alternatives.

Having spent some time in solitary confinement, I would prefer the death penalty personally.

I am not someone that is really upset when the states kills one person or another... more than likely that person did something and their lawyers weren't good enough to get them off. However, more people get killed in NY city in a day than in a year by state support death penalty...so really not much of a deterrent.

If you really want to do something with these people then make then do something that is actually useful for society rather than just sitting in a small cell somewhere. We need to work out how much each one of these people costs to support and see what we can do to have them recoup some of these costs by working. If you wanted to get really crazy you could even have them start growing their own food or making their own clothes (not like they have much else to do.)

My biggest problem I guess is this. Someone does a terrible thing so we lock them up in a small cell for the rest of their lives...punishment, yes...but really, what is the point. Does it accomplish anything, does it make society better, does it make that person better?? No, of course not.

We need, as a global society, to come up with something better to make these people give something back to society rather than just take from it.

IMHO.