[Trantor]

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Personally, I think any error rate should be relatively intolerable. I only support the death penalty in cases of murder where there is multiple forms of ironclad proof. If there is the slightest doubt, then i'm not in favor of it on that particular case. However, when there is physical and eyewitness evidence supporting the conviction, then i'm ok with it.

I don't really care if it serves as a deterrent either. They killed someone, fry/stick/gas em. They are a worthless piece of trash, and it offends me that they can breathe the same air as me. It costs money to keep them in maximum security as well. But then you really shouldn't ask me because I wouldn't be opposed to the death penalty also being imposed on people that were convicted multiple times of violent crimes. If some dude goes to prison 4 freaking times for armed robbery, chances are he's not going to be a contributing member to society any time soon. I say do it like they do in China...take him behind the courthouse, shoot him in the back of the head, and send a bill for the bullet to his family.

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The current standard of proof inthe US as in the UK is guilty beyond reasoable doubt. Do you envisage your standard of not the slightest doubt to be a stronger test?

In the UK we are currently having tens of people having their double child killer murder convictions overturned. All convicted on flawed testimony of one "expert" who has just been struck of the UK medical register. All who are now free because they weren't "fried" for being found guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, of double child murder. All poor women who happened to bear children with defects that resulted in "natural" cot deaths. Still, i guess some may argue if executing 20 innocent women is not a blight on the society when the "greater good" is considered so be it.

I guess you don't realise how medeaeval the US judicial system appears to a lot of us over the pond, and no doubt in the US too. The prosecution giving a guy repeated IQ tests till his score ups enough so he is no longer to be considered a mental defective so he can be executed is, in my view, nothing more than legalised barbarism.

For those who support the death penalty even though innocents do get convicted, just hope you aren't that innocent. If they do get caught up in such a thing, the million to one shot, I suppose they will have the compensation of knowing their execution is to be welcomed in view of the benefit to society as a whole.