This is, ultimately, one of the most interesting questions that we ought to be asking about the use of capital punishment.

Needless to say, we are not asking it. And, when people do ask this question, they are wrongly characterized as off-the-wall Lefties who necessarily oppose any form of offender accountability. To hold offenders accountable for the harm they’ve done without killing them is a challenge our society ought to embrace … and soon. But to do so in a meaningful way would almost certainly necessitate really looking critically at our criminal justice system in its entirety, something the majority of us have no desire whatsoever to do.

Full article here (via). Also here, in slightly different form.