As Johnson said, "...when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully..." The certainty of imminent death would then be a far better incentive for the condemned to get his act together and get himself right with God, and make his apologies. When there is any hope of freedom or putting off death, most will seize on that slim chance, rather than taking measures to prepare for the certainty of death. Once of the greatest graces a man can be granted is to know the time and date of his particular judgement years in advance. Better to have all the spiritual solace and opportunities for meditation and prayer afforded by the time spent on death row than the hubbub and violence of normal life in a prison for murderers.

And on the practical side, since we're getting into non-legal/justice grounds, when there is no death penalty, and the ultimate penalty is never getting out of prison, what does a convict risk by repeated and violent escape attempts? What penalty can then deter a man who cannot legally be released, from improvising weapons and cutting a bloody path to freedom? Even if he fails, society can do nothing more to him beyond lock him up to try again and again. And finally, if a man cannot be deterred by the threat of death, only death can stop him. Those who argue that the death penalty does not deter criminals thus provide the ultimate practical argument for putting criminals to death.