Agreed.
“While the death penalty may not be a deterrent,”
As with all good discipline, if forceful and TIMELY, it is.
We have become wusses who not only don’t like to actually do it, but drag out any that are condemned (only to have them released on millions of appeals). Of course it’s not a deterrent if you’re not serious about it.
The present system has evolved into the number of appeals it has because of notorious cases of persons being proved clearly innocent after appearing to have been duly convicted and put on death row. That kind of situation will frequently result in new cautions being issued from the US Supreme Court.