When I was in high school, in the 90s, I also vehemently opposed the death penalty. In English class, I’d be on the anti-death penalty side during debates (I’d

When I was in high school, in the 90s, I also vehemently opposed the death penalty. In English class, I’d be on the anti-death penalty side during debates (I’d be the only one). My country was in the process of abolishing the death penalty at the time, so it was a little more than just an academic proposition. When I hit my late 30s, my position changed entirely. It’s hard to tell why. I now have no moral qualms about a society choosing to put to death people who are guilty of heinous and depraved acts against others. That said, I’m reading the March National Geographic, and the pictures of innocent men freed after being sentenced to death have given me pause. Given the apparent scope of prosecutorial misconduct (in the US, but it’s likely to be worse in many other places), it’s hard to entrust the state with this sort of responsibility, especially when there are alternatives that greatly reduce the threat to others, while avoiding the finality of capital punishment.