[Bastian]

No, I do not agree with the death penalty. It should be abolished.

I do however accept exceptions, where I think the death penalty is justified: when it comes to war criminals and dictators.

For instance, it was right to hang the Nazi leaders after the Nuremberg tribunal. It would have been terrible to have the elite of the 3rd Reich stay alive in jail for a few decades until they die off. It was discusting enough to see Albert Speer get away with a life sentence.

It was also right to hang Adolf Eichmann. I would not have wanted that bastard to serve a life sentence. The world is far better off without him.

But I don't think that the death penalty is justified to punish "normal" murderers or rapists, for a lot of reasons. One being justice can be (and often is) wrong. You just can't revive a dead person after you found out he was innocent.