The trouble with such a sweeping statement is that there are genuinely compelling reasons to execute some people; for instance, why do we allow armed insurgent revolutionaries such as Nidal Hassan to remain in prison where they have a lifetime to incite rage and hatred against the nation among the other prisoners who will receive parole and go out to inflict mayhem on another group of victims? Same with the theater shooter and many, many other terrorist mass murderers. They need to be extinguished for the good of the entire nation.
This is precisely what troubles me. Kelly Gissendaner gets executed for a crime of passion, the actual killer gets a lesser sentence. And yes, I am very troubled that brutal monsters such as Charles Manson, Nidal Hassan, the Colorado movie shooter get prison sentences.
I strongly support the death penalty. And I would pull the switch myself on the three monsters mentioned above. I think we need a death penalty precisely for such evil monsters and serial killers. I would not have pulled the switch on Kelly Gissendaner.