Originally Posted by
JimR
But there is a simple problem here that I don't see how you can solve.
Killing an innocent person = murder. Murderers deserve execution. Execution, being an endeavor of men, is imperfect. Imperfect execution will inevitably lead to the killing of an innocent person. See where that leads?
It is virtually guaranteed that innocent people have been executed--the numbers are simply too big, and the people who have had last minute acquittals based on real evidence are just too numerous. If you truly believe that all society takes on the burden of execution, a belief that I personally support, then it is virtually guaranteed that American society is guilty of murder.
When someone is dead, they are GONE. You can't release them, you can't compensate, it's over. Yes, that's what makes murder as heinous as it is, which is why societies should not engage in it. When a society condones the possible murder of innocent people in the name of "playing it safe", then society has gone bats**t insane, and does not deserve to be safe.