[James]

I think the principle of an eye-for-an-eye is reasonable and can be justified. Mainly on the grounds that someone who does something against someone else should be willing to have the same done to them in return. If not they shouldn't commit the act in the first place.

However I am not in favour of capital punishment for two reasons:

Firstly, as has been mentioned the punishment cannot be reversed in the cases where someone is proven innocent and secondly the process of execution is inhuman and distasteful.