More on the Death Penalty

A reader asks if I support the death penalty. The short answer is: maybe. In my youth I objected on principal that it was cruel and unusual. With lethal injection, that is a harder argument to make. Briefly, I might support the death penalty if

1. There is absolutely no doubt of guilt in the case in question, and the crime is truly horrendous.
   
2. More generally, it can be established that the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime--so much so that it outweighs the tragedy of taking another life.
   

People who argue that the death penalty does not deter crime at all are speaking nonsense; it may not be a perfect deterrent, but there is surely some effect on would-be criminals. The real question is if the benefit to society is worth it. Hanging random people in the town square would also act as a deterrent, but we would be loathe to make that choice.