Capital punishment, I believe, is one of the fundamental functions of government. Government is there to protect us. How protective would it be to say,"You killed so many people, but just because we believe that you're basically good and won't kill anymore, we're going to let you go,"? Is that killer going to reform? No. NO. Man is not now, has never been, and will never be good. Man has an evil nature and will not hesitate to use it. God says it and history proves it. Capital punishment is just that, punishment. It is also a warning to other criminals; a way of saying that they will be dealt with accordingly.
I take it that you think the death penalty is wrong. It is not. In Genesis, the Lord states: "For whosoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." God told us that the law RIGHTFULLY SHOULD put to death any person who killed his fellow man. Man is God's special creation. He is not an animal and should not be treated a such. This is why murder is wrong. When we kill cattle for food, that is not murder. When we smash that scorpion on the kitchen wall, that is not murder. When a dog is run over, that is saddening, but it is not murder. Why? Because those things are not man. They do not have a soul like man does. They do not know the difference between right and wrong. Man does. His life is sacred to God. This is why God instituted the death penalty.
Your mother was correct; two wrongs do not make a right. Capital punishment, however, is not wrong. It is justice.

La "Fire away. I will stand up for my beliefs." Zorra