fixing the death penalty

I no longer believe that you can fix the death penalty ... I learned that the death penalty throws millions of dollars down the drain -- money that I could be putting directly into crime fighting -- while dragging victims' families through a long and torturous process that only exacerbates their pain.

- james abbott, a 29-year veteran republican police chief from orange, new jersey, who served on a new jersey panel that recommended abolishment of capital punishment.
(source: the columbus dispatch)