The death penalty solves nothing - and as someone has said does give people a reason to murder rather than potentially leave witnesses. I have worked with ex offenders, including sex offenders - and while not defending or condoing what they have done, most are not born that way - most that I worked with were the product of years of abuse themselves. I am not saying that this makes it right...at all/ever, but most are very damaged people and many were so very ashamed of what they had done and what they felt. I do believe that there are some sex offenders for whom there is no way to manage them and keep the public safe, but the death penalty is never the answer - it brings society to the level of the criminals and just because it is state sponsored death does not make it right or acceptable - I want to live in a country more mature than that (although when we have lynch mobs mistaking paedophilia for paediatrician maybe I am being too optimistic)