The death penalty

came up for discussion again yesterday. 
I am opposed to the death penalty. Apart from my belief that it is wrong to take the life of another  there is always the possibility that an innocent person could be put to death. 
I wonder how many times that has happened?
People were discussing the case of a man who spent many years in prison for a murder it has now been held he did not commit. He was, naturally, looking for financial compensation.
That might help - a little. I doubt it would make up for years of incarceration.
And I was puzzled by the reaction of several other people. They seemed to feel that the financial compensation this man has been offered was "too much". 
   "The court didn't get it wrong Cat. They went on the evidence available."
Really? Courts have been known to make mistakes before - serious mistakes. They may get it right most of the time but the system is not perfect.
And politics can get in the way. There were politics involved in this case. There was immense pressure to find someone guilty. That they got the wrong man should be causing alarm - because it means the actual killer is likely still out there somewhere.
Recently there have been attempts to prevent an appeal in another case. These attempts are politically motivated - and a sure indication that the prosecution believes there are grounds for an appeal and that the appeal might be successful. 
After the meeting I was at had concluded I went out with someone who had remained silent throughout it. I know why she was silent.
Her stepbrother was recently released from prison. He was in there for a violent crime resulting in a death - a crime there is no doubt he committed as it was caught on CCTV. 
    "I'll always wonder Cat," she told me as we left.
Her stepbrother was out with his younger brother one day. They were apparently doing something they were not supposed to do - running along the upper edge of a cliff where there were warning signs. The younger brother is supposed to have fallen - fallen to his death.
It was ruled an accident but there was a past history that did raise some doubts. There was nobody else around. The older boy was intensely jealous of the younger one. He had been violent towards him before. All it would have taken was one push.
Since that time he has been imprisoned more than once for violence related crimes.  His father and stepmother have moved house twice in order to get away from him. There is an order restraining him from having any contact with them - an order he has broken more than once.
     "I know you will. It's why I tried to stop that discussion," I said.
She gave me a small, sad smile.
     "Thanks."
I watched her leave as I unlocked the trike. She was a lonely figure in the crowd, someone who  has never married and who avoids close relationships.
Her stepbrother is on parole under strict conditions. We both know he will be back in prison before long. His father wishes they would "lock him up and throw away the key".
I don't believe in the death penalty but I do wonder whether there are people who should simply be locked away forever.