An execution is a state-sanctioned murder. No matter how you try to put it, it is an act of murder. The "An Eye for An Eye" mentality is unhealthy and a danger to the society. Human beings are fallible by nature and make mistakes. Death penalty goes against the the teachings and principles of Christianity.
In the ol' days, African-Americans were lynched on many occasions over accusations and many of these were untrue to start with. Quite a number of them were lynched for having an intimate relationship with a Caucasian.
I just don't believe it's our duty to kill people. It's a fallible concept and shouldn't be practiced at all. It's outlawed in the country of Canada and the homicide rate aren't something to worry about these days.
In 2004, 1,364 homicides were reported in Texas in comparison to a nationwide statistic of 622 homicides in Canada. Canada has a population of 32,000,000 while the state of Texas has a population of 22,000,000. Texas is the one with the most executions and we don't even execute ours, yet our national homicide is remarkably lower in comparison to a single state. Try comparing that! Clearly, America have a problem. No, just because you have 10 times the population doesn't make it more acceptable. It is problem when people are being murderered and they should take measures to prevent more from happening. Actually, 2004 was the year where we had a 12% spike in homicides, and the year before... it was at a 36-year low. The homicide rate in Canada had been declining since 1992. It's still relatively low now.
In the 1990s, the homicide rate in USA was triple the rate in Canada.
Texas Crime Rates 1960 - 2005
The Daily, Thursday, July 20, 2006. Crime statistics
Before the death penalty was abolished in Canada, the homicide rates were somewhere higher. Death penalty in America isn't doing anything to prevent more acts of murder from being committed. It's just a mentality created as a result of misguided emotions.
I don't feel sorry for the murderers, but I don't wish to have them killed because that would make me a murderer too.