You can't bring someone back once they're dead. That's the message from people working to abolish the Kansas death penalty.

The Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty heard Tuesday from a man who says he's living proof the justice system can make mistakes. Ray Krone says he used to support the death penalty. But then, he was convicted of killing a woman in Arizona. Krone was sentenced to death and spent ten years in prison before DNA evidence, in April 2002, made him the 100th death row inmate to be exonerated.

Krone says he now believes there are other ways to deter crime and keep offenders in prison the rest of their lives without having "the blood of an innocent person on our hands because of the need for revenge."

Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison admits he cannot guarantee a mistake will never be made, but he says Kansas has been able to avoid problems seen in other states because of the narrow scope of its death penalty law. He says problems occur when prosecutors are given to much leeway in deciding who to seek capital punishment against. Morrison says he believes the death penalty is an important tool for prosecutors to have. He says, on one hand, he believes there are certain offenders for whom death is the most appropriate punishment, while, on another, capital punishment can help in settling cases with plea bargains and life sentences.

Lawmakers who support capital punishment say they share the responsibility in keeping confidence in the system. Rep. Lance Kinzer, R-Olathe, says it's important for legislators to make sure the criminal justice system has the resources it needs to make the best use of scientific technology to make sure authorities are getting the right person. He says he believes getting rid of the death penalty would be overreacting to concerns.

But the group hearing from Krone says any risk it's the wrong person is too much when you're talking about someone's life.

"You can't bring back a person once you execute them," Krone says. "If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone."

Krone has travelled across the country sharing his story against the death penalty. He says he does it for his family and friends who supported him, and for other innocent people on death row. Krone's visit marks 100 years since Kansas first abolished the death penalty. It has been law on and off since then. It was last brought back in 1994. Ten people have been sentenced to death since then, but none has been executed.

Measures were introduced in both the Kansas House and Senate Tuesday to do away with the death penalty.