After keeping him in prison for literally half his life, Georgia executed a 72 year old man.

[branford]

235. Simply, I believe some crimes are sufficiently heinous to warrant the ultimate punishment.

Deterrence, if any, is just a positive ancillary benefit.

Consistent with the current Party Platform, I also strongly support protections to ensure all required constitutional requirements accompany the punishment's availability, including extensive due process, ample appeals, etc.

The cost of implementing a death sentence, usually the result of lengthy appeals, is similarly a secondary concern within the context of what I and many others consider a just sentence. Costs can certainly be reduced, although defendants might suffer. Moreover, I usually find arguments about cost to be somewhat disingenuous as opponents of capital punishment generally believe the penalty is wrong regardless of cost.

There are indeed moments when question whether the death penalty is still needed as practical matter while violent crime rates continue to drop. Sadly, when the reading about the crimes and defendant of the inevitable next execution, I again realize the true depths of human depravity, and any practical concerns I may have harbored quickly disappear.