Or maybe the time has just come to admit that the death penalty is a barbarity that doesn’t belong in a civilized society.
I tend to agree, and while there's merit to the argument that the death penalty, in some cases, represents "justice", the corruptions and various imperfections of our criminal justice system make the likelihood high that innocent people have been executed. I think it's a perfectly respectable "conservative" position to support doing away with the death penalty, not least of which is that it is consistent with a moral view that favors the protection of life.
Indeed, yesterday's WSJ had a long feature article about growing conservative opposition to the death penalty. That view isn't shared, yet, by a majority of conservatives, but it is growing, and for good reason.