Is it wrong to be concerned with executing innocent people?

No, there have been cases in the past where innocent victims have been killed for a crime they didn't commit. In fact, since 1973 over 130 people in 26 states have been released from death row with new evidence that exonerated them. Furthermore, there have been people convicted and killed for a crime they did not commit.
However, new measures have been put in place to prevent the punishing of innocent people. In 2004, the Innocence Protection Act was enacted which allows hundreds of thousands of back-logged evidence (like those in rape kids and other crime scene evidence) to be cross-referenced with the evidence in a capital-punishment case. Also, with new technology including DNA evidence, it has become increasingly easier to prevent the conviction of innocent people. It is also important to note that eye-witness error is the leading cause of wrongful conviction so it the witness, not the system, that is at fault for wrongful conviction. Other causes of conviction if innocent people include government misconduct, junk science, snitch testimony, and false confessions.

Personally, I believe that the capital punishment should only be used when there is irrefutable evidence that the person convicted is guilty.




Citation: Causes of Wrongful Conviction. Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved February 13, 2009.