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Will mistakes be made? Almost certainly!
Enough reason right there.
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I had several friends and acquaintances killed in aircraft or vehicular accidents
Using the power of Government to end someone's life is drastically different than one being killed pursuing an activity out of free choice.
That's not even an argument that rises to the level of a fallacy, Larry.
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but the system is now such that it will certainly be extremely rare.
That's more true today than it was many years ago, due to the review processes in place, so I agree with your statement.
My disagreement is that once is too often.
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Some have said that the measure of a society is how it treats its criminals. I disagree, the true measure is how the victims and their families are treated and whether or not justice is done.
I agree with you here too. But (you knew that was coming  ), Executing someone to atone for the death of another is approaching paganism. If there is the slightest possibility that the convicted may be innocent, he should not have been convicted in the first place. But having served on juries, I can assure you that emotions often play a stronger role than evidence.
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Similarly, people have spent a lifetime behind bars for crimes they did not commit. Certainly no less an injustice that being put to death. That does not mean we quit locking people away.
Wrongful conviction is always an injustice. However, a live inmate has a better chance of exoneration than a corpse.
Once we've killed a person, if new evidence proves his innocence, it's too late to make any kind of restitution.
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We should always look at all the evidence available and be willing set aside the death penalty if there is not overwhelming evidence of guilt.
And as this is the bottom line of my position: You actually agree with me (or vice versa if you like ).
Contra todo mal, mezcal; contra todo bien, también
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