[carlr]

I may have been misunderstood.What I was saying was that deterrence is not an issue because someone breaking any law is showing that the penalty of that act,be it a fine or the ultimate penalty,did not deter that particular person.
My opinion is,so be it.If the penalty for a given crime is death than any person who commits that crime deserves and should receive that penalty.
Does the death penalty deter someone from committing a capital crime?Probably,but hard to qualify as a person would have to admit to that.
To me that issue is irrelevant,if a person commits first degree murder than the only fitting punishment is the forfeiture of his own life.If it deters someone else along the way than that is a secondary benefit.

[driftless]

I tend to agree with you. Getting rid of someone like that guy in Atlanta is satisfaction enough. I was just remarking about the deterrence issue. There are many anti-death penalty people who swear that the dp is not a deterrent. I feel that it certainly is. But I like the vengeance part of it too.