I agree with some of what you said, not the emotional standing but the points where mankind can actually benefit from. There have been cases where inmates on death row have donated their bodies to medical/science research firms with full cooperation from the government.

So rather than simply eliminate the threat, you'd rather take it hostage for years costing Joe Taxpayer upwards of $30,000 a year to house, feed, and treat this individual for the next 50+ years, ultimately coming to the same result...the person dies. The only distinction is that now the taxpayer has paid $1.5 million dollars to keep this person alive.

I think the view of imprisonment varies a lot as well, where our culture and background greatly affect our opinions. I personally like the system we have in northern Europe where the focus is on rehabilitation of criminals, not the imprisonment in itself. We need to understand that crime is a combination of a persons choice to commit crime and the environment that the person lives in. The death penalty doesn't reduce the crime rate in a society, but I would guess it actually pushes it towards more violence.

Again, as I said to another user, don't insult me. I'm fine with you and others disagreeing with me all day but don't resort to personal attacks. When someone has to resort to personal attacks to try to win an arguement or a debate, it more or less means that they ran out of ways to attack other person's points. 

I'm comparing the prison system of america to other harsher prison systems in the world but you knew that. In that sense, america's prison system is a holiday inn. They are too soft on muggers, home invaders, gang bangers and other violent criminals. Their experience in prison should be hell on earth. They need to fear it to the point that they rather behave or die then go back there. Molesters, raptists, serial killers, mass murderers and excessively violent people should be put to death in a timely fashion and laid to rest in unmarked graves. 

I didn't mean it as a personal insult so much as the description I find most fitting for you. If you want to take it personally then go ahead, boo-hoo, stick to the arguement, don't tell me I've ran out of ways to argue when I've thrown so many comments in various ways towards this thread.

Oh yes, lets go backwards and begin to change our practices so we are more comparable to third world countries...yeah, good luck with kind of thinking. And as far as harshness is concerned, its all relative to the country. Prisons are just as bad as the land they are built on and the rules they are set by. Third world countries, countries without equal rights and countries with religious scripts that go against our basic moral principles are the ones with the worst prisons. Yes, lets go backwards and act like uncivil juts of ill-progression.This is why I'm glad I live in Canada, we have a much more progressive and moral approach towards most things.

-User was warned for this post -Tachikoma

Interesting discussion so far, yet I'm only swayed further to opposing the death penalty.

Wrongful convictions have happened and still happen. Even DNA is not fool proof, see the prosecutor's fallacy.
http://www.cs4fn.org/biology/prosecutor.php
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/06/dna_math_if_police_find_a_genetic_match_that_doesn_t_mean_they_have_the.single.html
Plus it can be planted, contaminated, mixed up or transferred.
http://wrongfulconvictionsblog.org/2013/06/28/how-innocent-mans-dna-was-found-at-killing-scene/

Taking away someone's freedom is enough. Isn't that the greatest value in the USA anyway? Why do some people feel like prison is equivalent to summer camp with video games in your comfy room. Is life in the USA that bad? Even where it seems exactly like that http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/25/norwegian-prison-inmates-treated-like-people it still works better than what US prisons accomplish.
I'm not saying all prisoners should go there, yet throwing everyone together in a depressing place doesn't work. Do these prisons have any positive effect on crime rate? http://www.imgism.com/5-of-the-most-brutal-prisons/5/

Prison reform aside, the main goal is to get the person out of regular society. Life in prison is good enough for that, no need for the death penalty.

For it. He's a waste of air and a monster. Whatever he gets is probably too good for the likes of him

With DNA evidence there has never been a person wrongfully convicted. 15 years ago I would agree but not today.

And they are not out of society dude. Are Richard Matt and David Sweat out of society? Charles Manson was able to nearly get married - is that your idea of getting out of society? Prison is a vacation these days.

I'm all for self sustaining prisons. Prison farm programs seem to work well.
They could even make their own biofuel to generate electricity and warm water for the prison. Chip in, or sit in the dark. Sit in a room and wait for your food to be served is not how prisons should work. That only turns people into caged animals.

Meh I say why not? For non-violent offenders or low class violent offenders, I can see not doing that but for violent offenders like rapists they should be turned into caged animals.