Quora Answer: Would It be Fairer If Murderers were Sentenced to Death Exactly the Same Way They Killed?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “If murderers were sentenced to death exactly the same way they committed murder, would it not it be more just?”

That would likely be expensive, and stupid.  If, for example, someone killed people by sabotaging an aircraft, and caused it to crash, who is going to bear the cost of putting this one murderer on a plane just to crash it?  What if the condemned murderer was guilty of multiple murders, and he killed different people in different ways?  Which method should we use to execute him?  Is there a hierarchy of methods?

Finally, who is going to carry out these executions?  Other murderers?  State-sanctioned psychopaths?  Is there going to be an entire industry for recreating murder scenes, and televising the execution for ratings?  This might make a great movie script, but it is wholly impractical and morally questionable.

The purpose of the death penalty is to be a deterrent in a judicial system that emphasises prevention over punishment.  Executions are meant to be clinical and efficient.  It is not supposed to be a blood sport.  You have not thought this thorough.