I've been thinking...

about the Death Penalty.

• Who do we give the death penalty to? Those that it would be unsafe to release back into society?
• Why does one get a life without parole instead of death?
• What criteria do we use to decide if one is unsafe and can not be rehabilitated?
• Which is cheaper life without parole or death?
• It seems that the death penalty was handed down more in the past than it is now. It seemed simpler(??) then, than it is now.
• If you did an unthinkable crime you received death. Now I guess that not that much is unthinkable. We can see people killing other people and we can see people raping children and taking someones lively hood in the past they couldn't see someone doing those things.
• Now it seems it requires multiple murders, usually planned, to receive the death penalty.
• What about the others? Why was it so simple before and not now? When was the drastic change?

All that being said, I am not sure how I feel about the death penalty. Can I put someone to death? Can I say that someone deserves to die? I am not sure I could but at the same time I feel like if they had done something to my children or my family that maybe I might be able to but I dont know that I could live with myself if I did.

All this is in my head now because I read the story from LLFTLDQ on the inmate who was executed on his birthday. He killed someone when he was 20, 18 years ago. He was trying to burglarise a home and a man was shot and killed. (it doesnt say if he pulled the trigger. and when did that start to matter?) If that happened now days this man would only receive some time in prison.