In Response to “Troubled by the Death Penalty” (May 9 – 15), I am the author of the original “Against Death Penalty.” You mentioned that you found my comments disturbing, that it sounded like I oppose the death penalty because “a criminal can be victimized and tortured in prison,” and subsequently asked me to please write again to “set you straight.”

I am happy to do so.

I am opposed to the death penalty because since the Innocence Project was founded in 1992, 289 people in the United States have been exonerated by them through DNA Testing, including 17 who were on death row.

There are additional death row exonerations taking place, on average, each and every year. As to whether or not I condone every “criminal” being, in your words, “victimized and tortured in prison,” the answer is no. As to whether or not I have a problem, in particular, with a convicted sex offender having done to him or her in prison what he or she did to their victim(s), then the answer is also no. I hope this helps clarify for you.