The Catechism, the Death Penalty, and the United States

Can one who accepts the Roman Catholic Catechism's position on the death penalty plausibly conclude that imposition of the death penalty is, or can be, morally legitimate in the United States?  For a negative answer, see this article  from the November 1st issue of AMERICA, titled No to the Death Penalty:  The Requirements the Catholic Catechism Sets for Use of the Death Penalty Are Not Met in the United States.  If the author is right, there is no room for a "prudential" judgment that (1) accepts the Catechism's position but (2) concludes that imposition of the death penalty is, or can be, morally legitimate in the United States.  What do you think?

Michael P.