Imagine that you find yourself
arrested for a
murder that you did not commit. The murder was
brutal, horribly brutal. But you didn't do it. But the
prosecutor needs to find someone
guilty from
pressure from the
public and the
governor. Somehow, they still find you
guilty. Next thing you know, you're sentenced to
death. Oh, did I mention you're too
poor to
afford a real
attorney, you're just stuck with what they gave you?
As you sit in that chair, ready for that lethal injection, does it matter how few innocent people are put to death? Does anything else matter other than that you are being murdered by the state to make the public happy?
If you are willing to let a few innocent people be executed just so some people can have revenge - not justice, revenge - you'd better be willing for yourself to be one of those innocent people. Is it fair to say "a few innocent people is a small price to pay, as long as I'm not one of them"?
I am not totally against the death penalty. I think it should be used when a person has: a) overwhelming evidence to their guilt; not circumstantial, not questionable, but foolproof evidence, and b) strong evidence that the person will kill again. Correction: since the original authoring of this writeup, my perspective has changed. I have reached the point I am unable to support putting someone to death for any reason whatsoever.
One innocent person is one person too many. Especially because that person could be you.