Readers React: A rogues gallery of death-penalty nations: China, Iran -- and the U.S.

To the editor: I see that the United States has still not gotten over its love affair with the death penalty, although that old flame is flickering. (“Executions surged by more than 50% in 2015 compared to the year before,” April 5)

We have the distinction of being in company with Saudi Arabia, China, Pakistan and others in this barbaric practice. It is time we joined the rest of the Western world by doing away with the death penalty.

California may have that opportunity in November if an initiative reaches the ballot to replace the death penalty with life in prison without parole, with the provision that the prisoner work and pay some restitution to the family of his victim. Our expensive death row would be a thing of the past, and yet the worst convicted killers would never go free.

Makes sense to me.

Jean Koch, Los Angeles

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