The death penalty is to the left what partial birth abortion is to the right. When groups are making emotional pleas to push their agenda then you know you are being played.
So, both fiscally and an understanding of government's failing will often lead people on the right to be against the death penalty. It is really about which pillars of conservative belief you hold most dear.
And what about the universal human rights? "The right of every individual to protection from deprivation of life" and "no one shall be subjected to cruel or degrading punishment."
The basic argument against that is that a person who has committed such a crime has broken their social compact with the rest of society. Having declared war on their fellow people they deserve none of the protection of their fellows.
// also, doesn't Japan still have the death penalty?
I beg your pardon?
> the will of the American voters
"A 2010 poll by Lake Research Partners found that a clear majority of voters (61%) would choose a punishment other than the death penalty for murder." (deathpenaltyinfo.org)
And between 1967 and 1977 not a single person was executed in the whole US, independently of the possible will of some states. The Eighth Amendment from 1791, the visible public disapproval and stuff.
And please tell where you've found any "emotional pleas"? Edit: or even "outrage"?
Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, District of Columbia