More people continue to be released after being found innocent. To opponents of the death penalty, the danger of executing an innocent person should be enough reason for a moratorium on the death penalty (Williams 13).

             However, the fact that innocent people have been released should also indicate another truth - that the legal system works. The complex and long appeals process allows lawyers and judges to act as checks and balances. The release of prisoners who were found innocent is proof that the system remains intact. After all, there have been no cases where an executed man was later found innocent.

             Related to this, the advancement of DNA technology should help to allay fears of an innocent person accidentally being executed. Since every individual's DNA is unique, DNA is a very reliable identifier. Unlike other identifying marks like fingerprints and facial features, a person's DNA cannot be altered. Modern science can thus distinguish between individual DNA samples with great accuracy, making DNA a much-improved version of fingerprinting. Scientific techniques are also improving the reliability and efficiency of DNA testing. This new technique allows investigators to extract DNA evidence from smaller, older and less well-preserved biological evidence fragments (Gottried, 28-32).

             In summary, arguments against the death penalty do not always hold water. The supposedly racist nature of capital punishment is belied by the fact that white defendants are more likely to get executed, after spending shorter amounts of time on death row. Furthermore, the availability of new DNA techniques will provide an added safety net, ensuring that the innocent are freed and that the guilty are punished.

             The death penalty is necessary.

             While opponents have presented flimsy reasons in their call to abolish the death penalty, those who continue to support the death penalty make good points. Many of them view the death penalty as a tool of necessity, and are far from the vengeful people that they are often characterized.