The Washington Times posts, "When, if ever, is the death penalty okay?" in its Communities section. It's by Paul Samakow, an attorney licensed in Maryland and Virginia.
Is execution ever appropriate? Should only killers face the death penalty? Rapists? Child-molesters? Should the number killed matter? Does motive matter? Terrorism? Mental incompetence? What if the killer were high on mind-altering drugs?
A large body of evidence shows that many innocent people are convicted and that some have been executed. Statistics from the Innocence Project reveal that since 1989, there have been 311 cases where DNA proved convicted individuals were innocent. Twenty-nine of those 311 individuals pled guilty to crimes they did not commit.
Samakow also notes the high cost of death penalty prosecutions and refers to a widely-referenced news article by Christy Hoppe examining Texas death penalty costs. It was written for the Dallas Morning News in 1992; it continues to be cited.