Atheism & the Death Penalty.

[Ben Davis]

Prison overpopulation can be handled far easier by reducing sentencing for/not incarcerating non-violent offenders, releasing three strike inmates who are in for three drug possession felonies and other non-violent inmates, etc...

...and can be handled more effectively, in the long term, by better addressing the social issues that lead to greater propensity to commit crimes: poverty, housing, education, civil rights, health, investment...

To the OP, I'm opposed to the death penalty in all forms for pretty much the same reasons that Simon Moon stated. Additionally, I'm an opponent of coercive ethics; I believe that prison should exist with the main purpose of rehabilitation and that people should be incarcerated until they're rehabilitated, irrespective of the offence. I'll say, in concert, that there are many offenses that shouldn't be and that many of the social fixes need putting in place before invitational ethics can really be applied to prison systems.