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Because it distinguishes us from the perpetrator.

Be it is what civilized nations do.

Because, Jack, civilization is about the struggle between our capacity for brutish depravity and moral order.

We loathe this man because we recognize his act was cruel, brutal, and depraved. That is good. Brutal depravity in dealing with him makes a mockery of our moral reasoning.That is bad, Jack.

Because it distinguishes us from the perpetrator.

No. The acts are nearly the same. He beheaded a 4-year-old girl. We put him in a cage. A bunch of strangers pass judgment on him. Then he is injected with poisonous chemicals that paralyze his muscles and cause his heart to stop. He used the power of his fists and hands. We use the power of the state. In the end, he's dead. His daughter is dead. Both were killed by agents over which they had no control.

The only thing that distinguishes us from the perpetrator is our motive. We are not killing him on a whim, or because we lost our temper, or because he ate the last of the double-chocolate Oreos. We are killing him because we, as a collective, agree that his behavior places him beyond the campfire, outside the realm of our protection, a predator the human circle shuns in the harshest, most ultimate way.

civilization is about the struggle between our capacity for brutish depravity and moral order.

Wanton, casual, capricious depravity? Certainly. But depravity as an answer for depravity is not inconsistent with moral order. It is definitely in concert with NATURAL order.

We loathe this man because we recognize his act was cruel, brutal, and depraved. That is good. Brutal depravity in dealing with him makes a mockery of our moral reasoning.

How so? Ours is a response, not a cause. We did not randomly select this creature for torture and abuse; he selected himself for society's just retribution when he engaged in acts so horrific as to place himself beyond the pale. In violating the social contract, he forfeits its benefits.

However, I agree with the poster who said that restraint is not for his benefit, but for our own. He's not worth the descent into madness, however temporary or justifiable.