Do you support the Death Penalty

[Ogre Mage]

I support the death penalty in theory but have a lot of problems with it in actual practice.  I agree that some individuals deserve to die.  The death penalty can also be a strong tool for prosecutors when negotiating with guilty defendants, such as in the Gary Ridgway case.  (Though many were disappointed that the prosecutor in question did not seek the death penalty for Ridgway).

In practice, however, the death penalty has serious issues.  In Illinois, for instance, they had to put a moratorium on their death penalty when DNA evidence exonerated several convicts on death row.  The fear of executing an innocent person is a huge deal for me.  If we are going to have the death penalty, it goes without saying that the process must be held to the highest possible critical standard.  It is like brain surgery -- there is no room for error.