I think a lot of defendants commit crimes that harm other people and if not directly resulting in their deaths, their actions will eventually lead to them. Justice is best served by reciprocating the action(s) or at least trying to, it is a 100% guarantee that that offender will not commit any crime(s) again. However, some argue that there are some instances where the convicted are actually innocent and are sentenced or put to death for no reason. If the death penalty is to be instilled upon those convicted of first degree murder or treason, their case my be tried and appeal for a retrial to avoid killing those who are innocent and who have been possibly framed for a crime they did not commit. This happened to Edward Lee Elmore, who sat on death row for for over 30 years before being found innocent and pardoned of first degree murder. Today, the average time spent on death row is 15 years according to Google search. Many would argue that is not enough time to review all of the evidence and find grounds to reopen a case, if it is complicated enough. In Elmore's case, his defender was not properly suited for the job either and suffered from a drinking problem, so in my opinion, if someone is to be tried for first degree murder, they must have an adequate lawyer who is not impacted by any outside influences and is in a right state of mind and condition to take on such a court case, especially one that may lead to a death sentence. Although this is type of misunderstanding can happen, it is not that common and the death penalty should not be done away with for the fear of executing someone innocent. That is a little harsh sounding, but there is plenty of time to find someone innocent before their death, and their are far more criminals who deserve this type of punishment. I also do not believe that capital punishment is racially motivated, since statistics have found that most US citizens put to death have been Caucasian. Capital [punishment is not slanted toward either majority of the races, black or white, and is just given to those who commit the worst crimes. Treason and murder in the first degree committed by anyone of any race or background are not justified in any case.