Bleeding hearts. One argument is that it costs, i.e., $48,000 to execute someone while it only costs i.e., $38,000/year to keep them alive ... and somehow that makes it cheaper. Well, $48,000 x 1 = $48,000 and $38,000 x 2,000 death row inmates x 20 years of appeals = $1,520,000,000. THEN on top of that, they are entitled to legal counsel, which comes as an added expense to taxpayers plus the salaries of prosecutors which is also at taxpayer expense - oh, yes, and court costs and filing fees at the expense of taxpayers.
Some crimes are so heinous they deserve the death penalty. Can SOME inmates be rehabilitated? Yes. ALL of them, NO. I've always found it astounding that one person can snuff out the life of another (or several others) with absolutely no conscience whatsoever, but fervently believe their own life should be spared.