system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: prisoners serving life should be given the option of the death penalty at any time during their sentence

It’s one thing to give someone the death penalty, but it’s definitely arguable that it’s crueler (I’d say much crueler) to give someone a life sentence. People who have life (with or without the possibility of parol) should have the option of taking the death penalty at any time. Not only is it very arguably less cruel, it’s still a massive deterrent-anyone who’s not scared of the death penalty is probably not that much more deterred by life in prison (not that there aren’t exceptions). It’s also less of a strain on society’s resources, if that matters to you.

Edit: tl,dr; great comment summed it up, “Prison should be used for rehabilitation, not torture.” The death penalty is a hugely harsh punishment already. How much vengeance do we need as a society, exactly?
gpt
You run into basically the same major issues with this proposal that you do with the death penalty, especially with regard to wrongful convictions.  Not everybody in prison is guilty, and some of those who are probably deserve a lighter sentence than the one they got.  You run the risk of executing an innocent person.

Since, in your post, you say people would have to volunteer for the death penalty, it's important to note that their decision would likely be made under considerable duress, and it would be difficult to account for possible coercion or mental illness.  Almost by the very nature of their circumstance, prisoners wouldn't really be able to make that decision with total freedom.