The execution last week of convicted murderer Robert Alton Harris in California has rekindled the debate over the death penalty. In Washington, Charles Campbell, currently on death row for the 1982 slayings of two women and a young girl in Snohomish County, could face execution as soon as late 1992 or early next year.

The U.S. Supreme Court halted executions in 1972, declaring all existing death-penalty statutes unconstitutional. However, executions resumed five years later under new laws, although no one has been executed in Washington since 1963.

What do you think?

Here's what readers think:

I am definitely in favor of the death penalty. Some say it's not a deterrent, but it definitely stops the repeat offender. The second point is that society should not have to pay for these people to live out a natural life.

Ken Kromann, Mukilteo

I favor the death penalty and I think we should use it more often. For example, murderers, rapists, child molesters and drug dealers should all be put to death. Justice and execution should be swift. If we look at other countries throughout the world that have no crime problem, we'll see that there's definitely a reason for that. I think with more death sentences, many of the problems that we have in our society today would not be a problem.

B. Johnson, Edmonds

I think the death penalty's a great idea. If somebody commits a murder, especially a serial killer, society's obligation is to get rid of this person. We shouldn't have to feed and clothe these people. Although I believe that these appeals drag on for years and years, it should be a swift punishment and it should be a swift and speedy trial, just like in the Constitution. As far as a deterrent; sure it's a deterrent 'cause they're dead and not around to kill other people. Society has forgotten about the victim, and they focus too much on the criminal.

Stuart Cole, Bothell

I am in favor of the death penalty. I believe that you reap what you sow, and I also believe in an eye for an eye. And I also believe that jails shouldn't be the resorts that they are; that if we went back to making jail punishment like it used to be years ago that maybe we could deter so many of the people that appear to not have any qualms at all about going to jail. And we shouldn't worry so much about whether it's humane to execute them because they certainly aren't the least bit worried about how humane they are killing their victims.

Verona Montgomery, Everett

I favor the death penalty because for me it represents the validation of the value of the life of those who were killed. I think that we are out of balance in our emphasis on the rights of the person who has committed the crime and that perhaps it's one way to restore some of that balance to say that there are some crimes that are so heinous that this is the only penalty that we can impose that will say that "Yes, we value the life of those that died."

Rebecca Dawson, Richmond Beach

I believe that we should have a death penalty which is imposed for heinous crimes. I believe it acts as a deterrent for the perpetrator and then for rational thinking members of society. I believe it would be an even better deterrent if it were used more frequently and with more certainty.

David Mischke, Edmonds

At this point, I would say I favor the death penalty. But I wish The Seattle Times would do a story on what life in prison is like, and by that I mean what kind of privileges, what kind of life do these convicts have? I think I could make a more informed choice if I knew that.

Kathy Annas, Lynnwood

-------------------- NEXT WEEK'S QUESTION --------------------

Do you think public money should be used to take a position for or against airport expansion?

Led by Des Moines in South King County, cities impacted by flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are establishing sizable legal defense funds to battle construction of a proposed third runway there. In Snohomish County, Mukilteo and its residents are leading the fight against the addition of commercial airline traffic at Paine Field.

Both expansions were recommended by the Puget Sound Air Transportation Committee.

Mukilteo has set aside $10,000 as a start of a legal defense fund. Save Our Communities (SOC), a private organization, is embarking on a fund-raising program and plans to hire its own attorney. In three months, it raised $45,000. Its goal is to raise $265,000 as a permanent fund if needed in the future.

With Snohomish County and a number of cities on record against expansion at Paine Field, some key questions are raised about whether tax money or private donations should pay for legal challenges.

What do you think?

Please phone your responses, by 8 p.m. Monday, to the Community Voices reader call-in line, 464-3337.