As someone who is skeptical of our government’s ability to implement effective and equitable programs we know that in this regard government has failed as well. Since the re-imposition of the death penalty in the 70’s, 156 people have wrongly convicted, sentenced to death, and later exonerated and released from death rows across this nation – six of those in Georgia. This is a failure of government that cannot be corrected. Therefore, from a fiscally conservative, taxpayer friendly standpoint with a healthy skepticism of government, I must conclude that the death penalty also fails in that regard.

Brett Harrell, State Representative (R-Snellville)

I believe the death penalty has become far too expensive and cumbersome to administer. As a conservative, I expect government to find the most cost effective means to achieve its goals, and life in prison without parole offers a far more cost effective and speedy, but still serious, punishment than the death penalty.

David Burge, Conservative Commentator, Former 5th Congressional District GOP Chairman

If we cannot trust the government to plan the economy, why should we trust it to have a policy to end life? We have a duty to abolish the death penalty, the most tragic example of government overreach.

Richard Lorenc, Executive Vice President, Foundation for Economic Education

In [the criminal justice] system, I have seen incompetence. I have seen fellow attorneys who mean well and perhaps are competent but just don’t have the resources to properly defend their clients. And that adds a great deal of doubt to the death sentences that are handed out. As it was said earlier, a death sentence can’t be taken back. Once it is executed, it can’t be undone.

Charles Jones, former President of the Athens, GA chapter of Right to Life

It’s a hell of a thing to kill a man, and there is no taking it back. You had better be sure, but more importantly you had better be right. There must be a flawless realization of justice. For the state to be able to be able to kill someone and call it just, requires a level of perfection and knowledge that is simply beyond the capability of human beings.

Jennifer Maffessanti, Associate Editor, Foundation for Economic Education

I oppose the death penalty because I believe in limited government and a government that can put its citizens to death is the antithesis of limited government. As George Will said, it is 'one more government program that had failed.’

Todd Rehm, Georgia Political Consultant and Editor of GaPundit.com

The Troy Davis case is what changed my view on the death penalty. While I don't know whether he was truly guilty of the crime of which he was convicted, his legal team presented enough information, including witnesses who'd recanted their previous testimony, to be granted a new trial. Unfortunately, the state didn't see it that way. Simply put, there are too many examples of miscarriages of justice, in which innocent people are killed by the state for crimes they didn't commit. It's also fiscally irresponsible and it's not an effective deterrent to those who would carry out heinous acts.

Jason Pye, Senior Writer at FreedomWorks and a libertarian Republican activist in Georgia

The death penalty is fiscally irresponsible and ethically unfounded. The cost of taking a life is higher than the cost of imprisoning a person for life. It is a nasty form of retribution, and morally indefensible. Life is priceless, why waste resources to destroy it.

Statement from Emory University’s Young Americans for Liberty,