Great article Simon and a very interesting debate. I think you argue very strongly for the case of the Death Penalty. More interestingly I was more in favour of it until I watched Dead Man Walking which got me thinking. I don’t know how anyone can attend one of these just to watch someone be excecuted. As for the media less said about them the better. I still sometimes swing to the other side when I see some of the atrocities of evil people. But as you hinted if the intention is to deter then it is not working in the US! So I am much more against. I only wish here in the UK that if pure evil is committed then life means life sentence which is not always the case.