I personally think that life imprisonment / “whole life tariffs” are the best solution - even if 1% of death penalty convictions turn out to be unsafe, then we have the possibility to appeal and free the people who are actually innocent - whereas the death penalty is irrevocable. I get the sense that Smalls was as guilty as they come and his guilt was beyond any reasonable doubt, but housing people like him for life in prison is the cost we should accept to protect society against killers and to protect inmates against miscarriages of justice. People in prison should always be allowed an appeal if there is new evidence which suggests they are innocent - enforcing a death penalty removes such an option.
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