Do you believe in the death penalty?

I doubt that any reasonable person has ever thought of the death penalty as a deterrent, so I
agree with you. The biochemicals released by anger actually impair cognition significantly, reducing the ability to consider foreseeable consequences. As you say, death has always been about satisfying righteous outrage, not about prevention; but we humans are imperfect, and I feel and think there are times that call for righteous outrage. I like your idea of dolling out like for like, rape and so on. We’ve hamstrung ourselves by prohibiting “cruel and unusual” punishments, deluding ourselves to think that our civilized punishments are, what?, kind and caring? There have been times when executions have been postponed because the inmate was ill, hence, “too sick” to be executed! What’s wrong with this picture? Here’s another question: how many inmates convicted of violent crime emerge from prison rehabilitated? We have a huge recidivism rate in the US. (We also
have more prison inmates per capita than any other country.) I submit that we should give in to our passion and mete out like for like. I submit that death may be too easy a way out for a true monster, especially the quick and allegedly compassionate deaths that we now administer. In L.A. Confidential, Bud White tells a violent husband (out of he has just beaten the toadstools) something like, “You just violated parole, so you’re going back. While you’re gone, I’m gonna get real cosy with your parole officer. When you get out, if you best her again, I’m gonna violate your ass back to Quentin on a kiddie-raper beef. You know what they do to kiddie-rapers in Quentin, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question. The system knows how to exact an eye for an eye that aren’t on the books. We might be a healthier and less hypocritical society if we legally codified those ways.

None of this addresses your valid point about invalid convictions, Lovely, because I don’t have an answer. It is a terrible problem. It causes huge, and MORE

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I don't "want" anyone to be killed. Its just that some crimes are so heinous, the consequences should speak for themselves.

I don't plan on committing an act that would land be in prison, so the point is moot.