[Izzy Dunne]

What’s wrong with a firing squad?

As long as it's televised, with five registered voters chosen at random (like jury duty), nothing at all.

[Twinkie]

Okay. Well, then, Izzy; just WHAT do YOU suggest instead? Of course, that “suggestion” you made was surely tongue in cheek. Let’s see . . there’s crucifixion . . it WAS good enough for God Himself.

[henkster]

My favorite death penalty trial story:

In jury selection, a prosecutor can ask a prospective juror if they are philosophically opposed to imposing the death penalty. Down in rural Texas, a prosecutor had such an exchange with an old rancher who was on the jury panel. The exchange went something like this:

Prosecutor: Sir, do you believe you could impose the death penalty on this man?

Rancher: Do they still do executions in this State on Saturdays?

Prosecutor: Well, yes, I suppose they do.

Rancher: Well, I’m free most Saturdays, so yes, I could if it was on a Saturday.

[daniel1212]

There is something to that. For capital crimes in Scripture, not only were 2 or 3 eyewitnesses were required, with false witnesses receiving the punishment their false testimony incurred, but the execution was to be done by the hands of the people.

While not being beyond corruption, you can see how it would work to require more citizen accountability not only in the conviction process, but in the execution. Rather than socialized system in which the actual execution is left to the State, and which fosters indifference among citizens, if they want laws upheld and really feel the persons are guilty then they are compelled be actively engaged in it.

This kind of relates to an old Star Trek episode in which two planets engaged in perpetual war made possible by antiseptic warfare. Computers would engage in war and assign deaths to each side, and which causalities then reported to "disintegration chambers." Kirk and Spock destroyed their computer system and forced them to deal with the dirty work of war, resulting in a truce.