[RACooper]

I see it as maturity and realization being rather arbitrary things - think back to your grade 10 class.

While yes some are more than aware of the impact of their actions - unfortunately some aren't. Whether this is due to education, age, or 'maturity' - it essentially doesn't matter. Just as some mentally challenged persons aren't competent to face the death penalty - so the same applies to some who are challeged by age and understanding.

Of course this should all be viewed in the light that I (like many Canadians or other citizens of the world) find the death penalty barbaric and flawed - finacially (court costs and such) and morally.

Now the moral issue brings up an important question for me - if so many "conservatives" or "right wing religious" folks are in support of the 10 Commandments, and so many "conservatives" and again right wing "right wing religious" foks are in favour of the death penalty. How do they reconcile the whole "thou shall not kill" aspect? and who do they reconilce Jesus' teachings which advocate forgiveness and reconciliation? Because no matter how you phrase it the issue of the legitamacy of capital punishment will some how work its' way into the debate - a consideration that I find important; if only to understand the foundation of the capital punishment establishment.

Finally if economics are a deciding issue - can someone post numbers for the cost of executing someone in the US and housing them for say 35 years?