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Falling out of love with the death penalty

By Dr. Michael Blankenship

Though a majority of Americans back capital punishment, surveys find growing unease over it.read more | digg storyThis statement is accurate, to a point. As I have repeatedly pointed out, when respondents are asked the question, "Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for convicted murderers?" a majority respond that they support the death penalty. Yet as Gallup shows, this majority continues to decline. The Gallup poll (among others) also shows that when respondents are asked the same questions faced by capital jurors (life in prison w/o parole versus death), support for the death penalty drops considerably.40 years ago, the U.S was on the verge (or so many people thought) of abolishing the death penalty. Public support was low, and between 1968 and 1976, there were no executions...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Justice Gambit on January 01, 2008 (boomark / email).