The West Wing, Season One

Toby:
The Torah doesn't prohibit capital punishment.

Rabbi Glassman:
No.

Toby:
It says, 'An eye for an eye'.

Rabbi Glassman:
You know what it also says? It says a rebellious child can be brought to the city gates and stoned to death. It says homosexuality is an abomination and punishable by death. It says men can be polygamous and slavery is acceptable. For all I know, that thinking reflected the best wisdom of its time, but it's just plain wrong by any modern standard. Society has a right to protect itself, but it doesn't have a right to be vengeful. It has a right to punish, but it doesn't have a right to kill.