When criminals are shot dead while committing crimes, that's not much different than a 'death penalty'

The point of armed guards is as a deterrant. Same thing with the death penalty. I predict that by 2012 the death penalty will have been re-introduced into South Africa (and other countries) as civilian conflict increases with the spread of economic attrition.
Law and order though will also breakdown as the police will want to be paid by someone, and the government will be less and less able to raise ordinary income through taxes.

clipped from blogs.dispatch.co.za The peace and quiet in the coastal settlement of Haga Haga was shattered this weekend when a robbery suspect was shot dead, allegedly by an armed guard, writes Siya Miti. “Crime happens in waves in this area. The last serious number of break-ins happened in 2006. The perpetrators were caught at the time and a reasonably quiet period followed.” Some residents hoped the incident would send a strong message to criminals targeting their isolated village to think twice before plotting their crimes. “What happened during the weekend was unfortunate, but we hope it will be a deterrent that will make people realise that even in small communities like this one we have armed response security,” said hotel boss Neil Chemaly. He added that the robbery seemed like the work of organised criminals. “It’s definitely a syndicate that operates through (inside) information from people in the community nearby,” Chemaly said.